One Was Too Many and a Thousand Was Never Enough
by Elle365
Summary: It's usually when you think life is ending that you find it just beginning." BellaxJasper I like crazy plot twists, and cliffhangers. We'll say you've been warned. Check it out!
1. Every Mile a Memory

I own nothing Twilight.

This story takes a few chapters of getting everything set up and then it gets more exciting, so keep reading even if the first chapter isn't super exciting for you. It gets good I promise! I hope you enjoy. Please comment!

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_Every mile, a memory; every song, another scene,_

_From some old movie going back in time you and me._

_Every day, a page turned down; every night, a lonesome sound,_

_Like a freight train rollin' through my dreams:_

_Every mile, a memory._

_--_

_-_

_JasperPOV_

The road isn't so bad.

All who wander are not lost—well then why the hell are they wandering? If you're not lost, then you would be found, and if you're found what reason have you to wander? If _I_ weren't lost, I would be at home—but I am lost. I've lost everything I know, and I wander because I don't know where else to go. The comfort of home, family, arms of a loving wife, well those are just amenities—luxuries that are reserved for the worthy, the deserving. And I am neither of those things. I am not worthy of the half-alive life I lead—let alone the comforts that fell in my lap undeserved.

Swerving onto the highway, I pressed my bike faster. I missed the adrenaline rush, or even blood circulating in my body. I hadn't fed for days... well probably longer.

I've always believed in justice. Justice is something a man has to believe in to keep pushing through the endless days. Justice—the evening of the scales, the villain receiving his punishment, the good receiving their reward. I can see justice now, the blindfolded woman, stone-like, holding her golden scales and tipping them accordingly. Accordingly they tipped against me. I got my punishment.

When you stack a lifetime of unforgivable sin on those scales sooner or later, it will catch up with you—no matter how long you pretend you can be worthy of mercy and grace.

No, I wasn't kicked out. No one asked me to leave, but I just couldn't bear the look in Alice's eyes. The pity, the refusal to lay blame where blame was due. I'd known all along I didn't deserve her blind love—for all that she sees, she is equally blind. She was never willing to see me for the monster, the horrific beast that I truly am. But Alice, she wasn't the worst of it.

Carlisle, his take-on-the-world-and-win attitude was waning. Surely his forgiving nature would run out. He couldn't still see the redemption in me after all of this. He'd always seen me as the possibility, the hope for those who had lived in murder and blood lust. I watched that hope leave his eyes. I'd never thought he looked a day over his 26 years but I coulda sworn there were new lines around his eyes, parenthesis dragging at his mouth. And Esme, well she can't cry, but her eyes have been red since we had to leave, and she can barely speak to me. Emmett, he was easier, but his humor had faded. He wasn't as ready to laugh and see humor in the everyday. He didn't talk to me as much, but the usual slap on the back and grimace-like smile said it all:

"You sure screwed up,"

Rosalie, she was the most complicated—because she was happy. She had guessed all along I'd be the one to slip. She had used me as ammunition in her assault on Edward and Bella's relationship. I would look into everyone's eyes and see pity and masked accusation, but in Rosalie's, triumph. Triumph in my failure. But that wasn't the worst.

The worst was the absence. I couldn't look into Edward's eyes for days after it had happened for fear of seeing accusation there. He told me time and again he didn't blame me, that he forgave my misdeed, but the vacancy in his eyes, in his voice, that was the worst. For dead people, I'd say we're all pretty alive, but Edward—he was dying a slow death. And I had been the cause, like the infecting agent. I had infected him with the deadly disease slowly sucking the life out of him, keeping him from his beloved. And then he left; struck out on his own, unable to even look at us, well probably just me. His absence was my undoing.

So where a sin is committed a payment is due. Where there is an injustice—punishment is due. So I left. I hated to cause more pain for them, but I figured my presence was as much a pain as my departure. I hadn't known where to go, Alice had meant home for such a long time. She'd wanted to come with me, of course, but why should she suffer too? She should be with others like her, strong, and good. I am neither of those things. Alice is everything good, and I was her counterpart—the night to her day, the darkness to her light, the shadow to her sunshine.

So the road, it's not so bad. It's bringing me justice, penance. I wander because I am lost. Lost from love, and every other good thing. I didn't know for how long I wandered—going here and there, formulating plans I never had any intention of carrying out, it was just something to occupy my mind, to pass the long days and the longer nights. The temptation was the worst at night—that's when my skeletons creep from the closet. That's when my demons crawl up from hell to whisper my impending and past failures in my ears.

"You'll do it. Just one taste. No one will ever have to know. Just one."

So I made plans I never intended to keep, plans to go home to Houston, plans to meet up with Alice, plans to apologize to Edward, plans to apologize to Bella… apologize to Bella, or to bring her to Edward. If only I knew where he was.

The night was hot, and endless and reminded me of my childhood, sticky summer nights sitting out on the porch looking at the endless black sky, and having no clue what endless blackness really meant.

I saw neon lights on the fading horizon. I pulled in amidst the other bikes and old pickups. The bar was smoky, the lights dim, the music loud--loud enough to keep my mind from humming with guilt.

So we can't eat solid food, right? Well, we process liquids just fine.

"Bourbon"

"Got an i.d. kid?"

I quickly filtered through the different i.d.s in my possession and tossed one that would suffice on the counter. I didn't even know what name was on it. I go by so many different ones. Whitlock, Hale, Cullen…

I sat on a stool between two men. It was crowded. Their eyes instantly cut to me, and the women they'd been flirting with forgot their conversations. I ignored the stares. How could I even pretend to take credit for the overkill nature had endowed in the form of good looks to lure prey.

"Where are _you_ from handsome?"

I could hardly look at the _free_ hooker speaking to me. Her eyes raked me up and down hungrily. She inched closer. They usually get more brazen with alcohol, and easier to lure away…

"Well that's a complicated question," I looked into her hazy eyes, and she was instantly locked in. She couldn't have left even if she'd wanted, and for a moment, I thought about taking her, draining her life. And once those thoughts started I knew I had to make her leave. My bourbon arrived. I threw it back and ordered another effectively breaking the spell.

"So, you don't drink much do you?" she said, at my grimace as I swallowed the second drink.

She laid her hand on my cold arm and as I smiled back at her, letting my lips curl up over my pointed teeth in a way that was not entirely human. Her brow furrowed as it registered that I was dangerous, subhuman. She took in the black color of my eyes, suddenly seeing past the illusion with horror. Needless to say, that took care of her.

Another two drinks. Well, you know how they say not to drink on an empty stomach? Well, I hadn't eaten in more time than I should have ever gone. The liquor went to my head quick.

"Phone for you son, make it quick."

"Phone for me? Who the hell 'd be callin' me," The accent tends to thicken with bourbon.

"Jasper," I wasn't prepared for the voice on the other end, I don't know who I was expecting, but not _his_ voice.

"Carlisle?"

"I need you to come home," His voice was resigned.

"Oh yeah, and where's that? _Home_…" I scoffed.

"Have you been drinking son?" his voice was kind, and understanding but heavy and tired--so tired.

"So what if I have?"

"Can you be back here tomorrow?" he ignored my anger.

"What for Carlisle? I don' think I kin see all of 'em again," I could hear the defeat in my own voice.

"I need you. You're the only one I can trust with this. Come home."

"I'llbetheretomorrow." I said into the receiver, slurring all of my words together.

-

I hope you liked it. Next chapter very soon. Comments are always appreciated.


	2. Stranded All in Love on My Own

I own nothing Twilight, or otherwise copyrighted and publicly recognizable.

This is a long one, but there was a lot that needed to be said. I hope you love it! I spent a lot of time trying to make _certain scenes_ just right. Hope you enjoy! Please review!!!

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_Driven by the strangle of vein_

_Showing no mercy, I'd do it again_

_Open up your eyes _

_You keep on crying and baby I'll bleed you dry_

_Skies they blink at me, I see a storm bubbling up from the sea_

_And it's coming closer_

_You shimmy shook my bones_

_leaving me stranded all in love on my own_

_Do you think of me?_

_Where am I now, baby where do I sleep?_

_Feels so good but I'm old, 2000 years of chasing taking it's toll_

_And It's coming closer._

_--_

_-_

_JasperPOV  
_

His short blond hair, swept back in a style reminiscent of a different time, seemed to change shades in the dim candlelight from golden to ash. His usually amiable features shadowed by the flickering of the flame took on an ominous, threatening sharpness. His studies always glowed with the warmth of candlelight and a fire in the hearth. He was more comfortable with the soft fire. Electricity was still relatively new to him. The pictures of old European leaders glared with sinister disgust down from their perfectly dustless golden frames. My eyes lingered on the most familiar. Carlisle's honest, smiling face and Aro's forced smirk, and the three other men I'd only seen a handful of times.

He cleared his throat needlessly.

I had never seen Carlisle lose his usual aura of calm, unwavering control. The ferocity in his gaze heightened as he raised his chin to speak. The subtle light illuminated fine lines around Carlisle's mouth and eyes. He looked much older than his immortal twenty-six years.

Thunder rolled in the distance, as rain began splattering against the clean windows behind him.

"Jasper," husky and deep his voice reverberated in the room with his building emotions. I tried futilely to keep myself calm. I tried not to guess at the reason for Carlisle's cryptic summoning in an effort to keep myself under control. However, I couldn't fight the panic slowly building deep within my chest somewhere behind my silent heart.

"Jasper, I have called you here because I believe you and I are the most like-minded. You can look at things as I do: with reason free of emotion." He turned his back on me as he spoke and stretched his tall frame from its earlier hunched posture to his usual erect confident stance.

He lifted a single piece of paper from his desk. The note was dirty with repeated handling, and crinkled with use. Carlisle held it in his outstretched palm, not looking at the letter or me but staring beyond the present into another time.

I reached for the letter, my hand steady despite my anxiety. I studied Carlisle's lost expression over the explanation in his hand. I skimmed the words, not understanding at first.

.

.

_Carlisle,_

_ Old Friend, I wish to speak with you of pressing matters. A letter will not suffice. _

_ Do bring your dear family along. It has been too long since I have seen them. _

_ --Aro_

_._

_.  
_

"Carlisle? Why does this upset you?" Carlisle's eyes cut from somewhere in the past to my shadowed face. Lightening flashed, illuminating the room for a moment.

"It is a summoning."

"A summoning?" I couldn't understand how the simple note in my hand could be construed as a summoning. "A summoning for what?"

"Jasper, I have known Aro a great many years, and I have seen how he handles things. I have seen how he deals with friends and enemies alike, and I know that Aro has no friends...that he does not fear. He keeps me as a friend, because he is afraid of me in some way. I have watched as he has exterminated all of those he calls "friend" because he envied their power, or feared for his own. I believe this is that summoning, the summoning for extermination. And I would conclude that since he desires for me to bring you all along, he either wants to keep you for his pets, or this runs deeper and he wishes to exterminate all of us who have chosen an "alternate" lifestyle."

I hung on each of Carlisle's carefully chosen words, weighing, deciphering, and understanding the situation and the possible courses of action in response. The drumming of the rain seemed to spur me on.

I laid the yellowed paper aside and paced across the room, strategy circulating in my mind. Carlisle stood motionless, unblinking, not breathing, arms hanging limply at his sides, as his eyes followed me back and forth across the crimson carpeted floor to the beat of the clock ticking endlessly.

"Obviously, we cannot run. They will find us. A large group of vampires will not stay hidden for long, and if we did split up, say into couples, we would just be more susceptible to attack." I voiced my thought process, more for the sake of sorting than communicating with Carlisle.

"The only thing I can see to do, would be for the four of us, You, Edward, Emmett and me to go and speak to them. Send the women away, they will be easier to hide, so if the Volturri are set on destroying us, it will not end us all."

"That is what I thought son, but you know our women as well, if not better than I, so can you imagine them allowing us to go into the lion's den alone? They are independent and persistent. I've spoken to your wife, well...Alice, and she was strongly against that course of action," Carlisle shifted uneasily at his misuse of the word 'wife'. " The other two will know soon enough, if not already, what is happening and what we are planning, and I'm sure they will feel the same way." Carlisle had already suffered this defeat. I realized then that Carlisle already had a plan. He'd already decided what he wanted to do.

I looked up into his face, the determination and strategy of the tactically thinking military man setting my jaw. My eyes were set and shadowed by the flickering of the candle, waiting-- waiting for Carlisle to fill me in on his tactics.

"I have a plan, Jasper," Carlisle lifted his hands from where they had been hanging limply by his sides. He folded his arms, the air of silent authority returning to him.

"I know you aren't going to like this. I know you will argue with me, but please hear me out. I've spoken to Alice, and she' seen this occurring."

I unconsciously mirrored Carlisle's stance. My posture stretching to my full height, my back erect, and my legs locked hip-width apart, my arms folded in thick bands across my chest. My chin lifted as I looked through furrowed brow at the only father I'd ever really known, waiting, anticipating.

"I want for you to remain—allow me and the rest of the family to go and… _greet_ Aro," he held up his hand to stop my immediate protests.

"Carlisle… surely you can't be serious," there was a hint of amusement to my tone, a slackening of my posture before a new stiffness took hold of me. A tenseness when I realized Carlisle was completely serious. There was no hint of humor in him.

"Jasper, you are the back-bone of our family. You've always been my hope that others can learn a new way of life--that freedom is possible for those like us, even those who have lived in submission to our nature. You are the strongest, the most resilient, and the hope of our family. I know they will agree with me on this. I want you to stay behind, and let us go."

The next moment the door burst open, and a trio of contrasting women stood in the doorway.

"Carlisle…" Esme began, crossing the floor. She needed to be at his side, touching him, to have his strength. He lifted his arm automatically to allow her to slip under it and against his side, where she felt secure.

"Carlisle, you should have involved us in this discussion," Alice interrupted with forced calm, not looking at me, but her body hummed with the tension I'd been expecting.

"Well all of this is _absolutely_ ridiculous—there is no way in hell that I'm allowing you all to go without me." I shifted closer to Carlisle, trying to draw on his calmness to suppress the emotions boiling in the women and me.

"I think it should be you, Jasper," Alice's voice was soft and sweet, as her tone caressed my name. She looked up into my eyes and in that moment I saw all that I'd been missing from her. The months of separation, the hurt and betrayal I'd expected to see were all that was missing.

"I _know_ that I am supposed to go to Voltera, and I _know_ that Jasper is not. He still has important things to accomplish, a fate to fulfill. He has to live," She finished looking up into my face and stepping closer, gauging if I would welcome her back into my arms. I lifted them, and she melted against me. Her rigid body slackened, as she allowed me to hold her, to erase the past months. Her body felt so right in my arms. Pain and fear shot through her for the briefest moment, and then she was as calm as Carlisle.

She stepped away before my arms were willing to let go. Alice wouldn't be Alice if not for her independence. She'd never needed me like I had needed her.

"They're right Jasper." Esme interjected in her motherly tone.

"No… you can't be serious! I'm the least worthy. I've done so many terrible things, things that can never be undone. I've killed so many people. I should be the _first_ of you to die. I won't take that place. It should be someone else." I searched their familiar, yet different faces. Alice, then Carlisle, Esme and settling on Rosalie leaning casually in the doorway.

"You're right—you _are_ the least worthy. You've never really been the best at this lifestyle, but the fact that you've stuck with it all these years is tribute to your will and determination. You haven't slipped often, and you didn't kill _her_ Jasper. Stop punishing yourself for something that was natural to us all. It should be you, and you should stop being so stubborn. Your wife is more obdurate than us all. And you're the only one of us that I think could endure alone. It should be you Jasper," Rosalie's speech, her sincerity and thoughtfulness, surprised us all.

"You've never seen yourself clearly son. You have such a pure heart. Your positive attributes far outnumber any of your weaknesses. You're honest, courageous, compassionate, obviously empathetic, and selfless. Live for us. Make sure everyone knows we do not regret our decisions,"

He paused looking down at his smiling wife in his arms for a moment.

"But would gladly make them all again. Even bringing Bella into our lives, especially inviting Bella into our lives. You must carry on our way of life, and teach others. You're the only one with the strength and knowledge and experience necessary to help those who are lost like you were once. Make them understand there is more for our kind. There is hope,"

He clapped me on the shoulder and pulled me into a hug. The trust and hope swelling in him was staggering. I couldn't feel anything else but my own shocked surprise.

"I don't doubt for one second, we'll all see you again, in a better place. I love you son." I felt the bewilderment written on my face. This had to be some kind of dream, some alternate reality. How could this be happening?

Weariness surfaced downstairs.

_Emmett._

The shuffle of feet in the hallway caught everyone's attention. Four pairs of eyes fixed in a second on Emmett coming up the hallway.

The thunder rolled outside.

Then a _second_ set of feet on the worn wooden boards, following almost silently behind him.

"Edward…" Esme's face contorted in anguish as she saw his disheveled appearance.

Why hadn't I sensed him before?

He looked more than dead. His eyes were sunken, and the black circles beneath them gave him the appearance of a mortal man who had never slept. His hair was dirty, like it had been greased and was longer than I remembered. His skin was dirty and had an oily sheen, like he needed a shower. And then, I don't know how I hadn't noticed at first, his eyes caught my attention. They were dead and detached, but endlessly black-- soulless.

Esme raced to him, her hands fluttering over him as if she wanted to heal him but didn't know what to do. She stood on her tip-toes and clutched him to her, his flat black eyes remained vacant, his body rigid, as if he weren't used to receiving affection, as if he hadn't received a thousand such hugs from his mother-figure. Her hand clutched at the back of his neck, holding him to her.

"Edward, oh I'm so glad you're home. We've missed you so. Oh, Edward are you all right? What can I get for you? But…" she fussed over him, but he didn't respond. Her voice caught in her throat as she noticed the changes in him. She looked back at Carlisle who only nodded. Esme's hands went to Edward's face, cupping his hollow cheeks between her tiny palms. He forced a smile at her, and then looked at me. Esme dropped her hands and backed against Carlisle.

Edward looked at me for a long moment. His face went back to expressionless. He emitted no emotion, but my mind was filled with thoughts for him.

_I'm so sorry. Please don't punish yourself like this._

He looked at me for a moment, vacant, then looked to Carlisle. The room was silent as the two looked at each other, concern etched on Carlisle's face. Edward nodded indiscriminately as the seconds ticked by on Carlisle's old Grandfather clock.

I assumed Carlisle was filling him in on what all had happened, because Edward's strangely endless black eyes came back to me.

"Can you do something for me?" his voice was raspy, like he hadn't used it in weeks.

"Anything. _Anything_ at all brother." I could feel the earnestness rising in my chest and reverberating in my voice.

"Let us go…" he trailed off as if he were going to continue. I waited a moment, then he began again as I was about to reluctantly agree to the one redeeming demand. How could I deny him when his current state was entirely on my shoulders?

"And look after Bella. I'm glad I did things my way, because she would be involved in this too if I hadn't. Just make sure they never hurt her. Make sure… make sure she… look after her." He got choked up, his voice breaking. As I looked at him, knowing that all of this was my fault all I could do was nod.

"Promise me. I need to hear it." the strength that coursed through those words, brought my eyes up from the ground.

"I will. I would do anything for you-- for any of you." My eyes left Edward's for a moment. The faces of the only people in the world I loved.

It's strange how sacrifice works. I would have gladly died for them; I would have suffered anything for them, but this—allowing them to take the heat for me, carrying on our way of life for them because this was what _they_ wanted. Well this was almost unendurable. I was sacrificing the only things in the world that mattered to me.

"Tell her… I love her." His eyebrows were scrunched together, his face contorted. The pain rolling off of him was staggering. The brilliancy of his burning eyes was hard to hold, but I held the pain, shouldering it as my burden as well.

"Of course, Edward." I said barely able to stand the anguish.

"We'll leave in the morning." Carlisle announced, looking at each of our faces as we all stood in stunned silence, not really looking back at him, or at each other.

Rosalie and Emmett left, clutching each other closely.

I couldn't move as the others filtered out. My feet were glued to the worn floorboard. In a matter of hours, I would be losing a father, mother, two brothers, a sister and… my wife.

I looked up at the elfin woman standing in the doorway. Her petite build always called to me, always brought out the protector in me, and a hunger that had nothing to do with my thirst.

She looked so innocent, so vulnerable and in need of me, but she didn't need me. Despite her tiny body she was one of the strongest people I'd ever known. She didn't need protecting. She didn't need me, and she had never been afraid of losing me like I was terrified of losing her.

I couldn't imagine my life without her, because the only life I'd known without her had been hell—no, worse than hell. She'd been my saving grace and when she left, she'd be taking my salvation with her.

I wasn't going to make the first move. This would have to be her idea, her desire. I didn't know if she still wanted me the way I wanted her. She had been furious with me the day I'd left. She'd been hurt, and angry. My hand went to my chest where I wore her wedding ring, which she'd thrown at me that day, around my neck on a chain. That was the first time I'd ever seen her take it off.

I had been holding her golden eyes, and I was sure mine had inked black. I couldn't imagine never being with her again, never holding her _ever_ again. My arms ached to hold her. I wanted to cross the floor and take her to our room, but this had to be her idea. I wasn't going to push anything she didn't want.

She crossed the empty room to me, her eyes darkening as she held my gaze, her stride silently alluring. She was thinking, there was no desire, or longing rolling off of her. I could help her along, but that wasn't what I wanted to do. Not tonight. I stifled the hope that she still wanted me, still loved me as deeply as I'd always loved her. I knew I'd hurt her, but surely she could see that had never been my goal.

She paused in front of me, her breathtaking face, pensive. As if she were thinking hard about something. She took my face in her hands.

"I _have always_ loved you, and _will always_ love you. You are half of my soul, half of who I am. _Never_ question that." She kissed me gently, blocking my response.

Her perfect full lips molded softly around mine, and with each break in our contact her need for me rose, as if she couldn't wait for our lips to touch again. Her hands went from my face to rest softly against my chest.

This wasn't the night for soft. This wasn't the night for holding back. We would never have the chance to hold each other again, and it had been so long, so long since I'd kissed her, touched her perfect skin, had her in my arms. And her building desire sent mine over the threshold.

My arms went around her, enclosing her. She melted against me, her voice catching low in her throat. The sound of it coursed up my spine.

"Alice…" I whispered breaking the kiss and brushing side-to-side against her lips, my voice deep and husky. We needed to go to our room.

She wasn't having any of that. Her arms tightened crushing me against her, her lips needing, her hands wandering. She pushed me backwards against Carlisle's desk. Her hands raked down my chest as I leaned back my eyes closing.

She deftly undid my belt, without breaking our kiss. Her lips wandered hungrily down my neck, pulling at my skin with her sharp teeth.

She pulled at the buttons on my shirt, sending them cascading and tinkering across the wooden floor. Her eyes fixed on her ring on a golden chain around my neck. Her eyes locked with mine for a moment, black as onyx. They shone in the dimming firelight, almost as if they were filled with tears.

She touched the ring resting above my silent heart. My hand clasped over her's then I ripped the chain from around my neck. She watched as I slid the ring off the broken links and positioned it between my lips. I took her hand, still clasped in mine and singled out her ring finger. I slid her finger slowly through the ring into my mouth; our eyes still locked, and then slowly slid it out, placing a kiss on the diamond, back where it should always have been.

I lifted her into my arms kissing her roughly, our lips breaking and meeting in fervor. Quickly I sped out of the room, and scaled the stairs two at a time, making my way to our room. The corner of her mouth lifted as I set her on the bed, jerked my jeans down my legs, and slid over her. Hurriedly I unbuttoned her crimson blouse, leaving kisses on the cool exposed skin.

"What?" I asked as her seductive little smirk lifted into a full on grin. I wasn't thatout of practice.

"That tickles." One-side of my mouth lifted into a lopsided grin and I ripped at her shirt as she had mine. In a second I slid her jeans down her slender thighs, and playfully pulled her off the bed as I jerked them off.

"Ouch." She smiled, as she caught herself over me on the floor. I stretched out on the thick purple carpet as she kept her arms locked, bringing her knees to the floor next to my hips. I wanted to pull her down, but she smiled coyly.

"You're beautiful," I whispered, the soft half-light illuminating her skin, perfectly offset by her black lingerie. That was my Alice; she would never be caught dead in fruit of the loom.

I ran the back of my hand slowly from her parted lips, down her throat, between her breasts, and then down her stomach. Her head rolled back; her back arched. Both of my hands settled at her hips, pressing her down to me. The deep moan that escaped her lips sent chills across my skin.

The rain beat the windows endlessly, drumming an steadily through the night.

You know how people say they 'made love like it was the first time?' well I've always thought that was cliché, until _that_ night. Each time was like the first time, maybe because it was the last time.

"I love you," I whispered for the thousandth time that night, stroking her soft black hair away from her face, as the ominous grey of dawn tinged the sheer curtains. I kissed her shoulder, pulling her back closer against me. Dread, the likes of which I had never known had clawed at my stomach even as I'd wanted to savor my time with her. She rolled over to face me, anxiety looming just below the surface.

"I love you too, Jasper. Don't say goodbye. I'll see you again." She kissed me softly, a sweet lingering goodbye in itself. I breathed the sweet rich scent of lavender off her skin for the last time. I soaked in the love emanating from her, the strongest I'd ever known. She pressed a kiss to my forehead, dressed and paused in the doorway, a blank look on her angelic face.

"Make sure you're out on the one-oh-one at mile-marker 195 at…" she hesitated her eyes blank again. "9:43 am"

I couldn't think about what that meant. I jumped up, pulling my jeans on and raced down the stairs after Alice, catching her arm. I spun her to kiss me one last time.

"Let me go instead. Please, I can't let you go for me. I won't let you go for me." This was ridiculous. Why would they ever pick me to stay behind? And why couldn't Alice stay with me?

"This is how it has to be. Trust me." And with that she flit out the door and to the waiting car.

I'd never been the kind of man to sit by and let things happen. I'd never been the kind of man that would let others accept a fate I too was entitled, but this was the way they wanted it, and I'd made promises I wasn't willing to break.

I stood there until the grey excuse for sun filtered into the empty room, in the empty house.

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Don't worry, we will hear from the rest of the Cullens again. New POVs soon.


	3. Expect Me to Apologize

I own nothing Twilight or publicly recognizable.

**This one gets pretty suspenseful. Enjoy and comment!

_-_

_--  
In this damp air  
It's fighting my defroster  
My sighs they ring victorious  
And fog this tinted glass  
And it's clouded  
And so is my head  
The hint of these new tears are sharp  
I try to choke them back  
But it's useless  
I'm useless against them  
They're beating me with ease_

_--  
_

-

_BellaPOV_

I collapsed on the cold floor onto my knees. Clutching my face as red poured down staining my white T-shirt, I tried to crawl away from him. I could feel the terror burning my eyes, the fear poisoning me. The smell of my own blood, coppery and salty, tainted the air and made my stomach do flip-flops.

_Don't pass out. Don't pass out._

I'd always felt so safe with him; I'd always thought he would protect me. I thought wrong. Apparently I needed protecting _from_ him. I frantically crawled back against one of the shelves lining the walls. I bumped it with a crash, sending tools scattering across the floor. They clanged loudly against the stained cement. I didn't know why he wasn't coming after me again. I couldn't make out where he was in the dark.

The room did a 360 spin as I clutched my head in both my hands. I tried to hold my breath for a moment, but I gasped in a full breath as lightning flashed, illuminating him as he leaped through the air down from the hood of the car to crouch in front of me.

I'd never been afraid of him before, but he was menacing now. His eyes were black, and hateful, his body thick and powerful and pulsing with anger. He paused in front of me, his chest heaving wildly like the animal he was. Eyes familiar, but wild with hate in a foreign face.

His muscles contracted ready to pounce.

"STOP!" I screamed as he loomed over me, poised for another attack. My voice seemed to snap the trance. He froze, the dark room humming with fear.

He trembled on the floor where he crouched.

I was frozen with fear. I pressed my hand to my oozing wound, trying not to breath in the smell.

Jacob shifted there again in the doorway, startling me again. He towered his full 6'5'' above me, his massive body just a silhouette against the flashing lightning from the doorway behind him. I lay trembling on the floor beneath him, pressing my back painfully into the rough edge of a shelf, unsure of what he would do. I bit down hard on my lip to keep from whimpering but it betrayed me and escaped anyway.

"Bella…" he whispered, horror and sorrow pouring from his eyes as he knelt in front of me. His voice seemed to jolt me to life again. Anger poured through my veins and sharpened my tongue.

"Don't…you…ever…touch… me… EVER…again." I managed between sobs. I stood as quickly as I could, pulling up on the shelf behind me, and swaying for a moment as darkness encroached on my vision. He leaned forward as if to help me, but thought better of it.

I moved for the door in haste but he grabbed my wrist and jerked me back to him.

"Please, Bella. I'm so sorry." His black eyes were pleading as he looked down at me. The tenderness, the sorrow I saw in them almost made me forget my anger. _Almost_.

"Let me clean it. Let me fix it." He was pulling me toward the door, to take me into the house to clean the gash he'd left on my face.

"Why--Why did you do that?" I felt the tears brimming over as I pulled against him.

"You just made me so crazy talking about that… parasite. I couldn't control the shift. You were too close … " He trailed off, his anger with himself cutting off his explanation.

"I love you and it rips me apart that you still love him." He vomited it all out in a rush. He looked down then, but clasped my arm tighter, his fingers doubling around my wrist.

What was I supposed to say to that? I couldn't say I loved him too, and even though my previous actions, before the bloodshed, might have told him otherwise, I knew in my heart that I could never love him in the true sense of the word. I could never love him as he deserved to be loved.

He looked back up when I didn't reply, his other hand reaching up to gently touch the edges of the jagged claw marks he'd left on my face.

"I love..." I knew it would hurt him, but I wanted to be honest now. I just couldn't finish.

"I should kill him for what he's done to you. Well, that shouldn't be too hard; I heard they were back in town. Billy saw the doctor yesterday." Jacob was trembling again, anger boiling beneath the surface.

"They're back…" I whispered more to myself than him. I couldn't help the light that came to life in my eyes, or the hope building in my heart. I couldn't keep my heart from hoping he came back for me.

"Don't look so happy, Bella. Remember what he did to you? Remember that." Jacob's words were like a knife, cutting through my moment of hope.

"For what _he's_ done to me? Look what _you_ just did to me!" I slapped my bloody palm across his face with a sharp crack. I'd said the words before I even considered how they would hurt him. He flinched, surprised.

He knew how angry I was with Edward, he'd been the one I'd cried to for hours after they'd left, but we'd both known, deep down; I loved Edward as much now as ever.

I couldn't take the pain in his black eyes. I had to get away from him. Flowing freely then the tears dripped down my face. Washing away some of the fresh blood and staining anything they touched crimson. My cuts burned as the salty tears invaded.

"I'll always love him. There's no use pretending." I whispered, breaking my wrist free. I fled out into the thundering rain as he recoiled.

A bloody smear stained his ruddy cheek as I glanced at him standing in the doorway of his garage. I paused, my hair getting plastered to my face, my shirt clinging to my skin again. I stood there a moment in the downpour considering going back. The agonized look on his face tore something in my heart. I took a step back toward him, my feet catching in the sucking black mud.

He locked his eyes, boiling with hate, with mine. A tremble of fear, I pretended was from the cold rain, ran down my back. He spat blood out onto the ground from where I'd busted his cheek against his teeth, then turned his back on me, and shut the door.

I raced through the rain and tears to the driveway. I tumbled to the ground once, getting covered in mud up to my knees and elbows.

I started my truck, with a groan and sped from the gravel driveway hurrying back to town. I couldn't even think of going to school now. I'd have to call Charlie soon so he wouldn't worry. I always called him when I got to school so he wouldn't worry, but today, today was different. I'd stopped in to see Jacob.

All the reasons I'd thought were logical last night that had supported my plan, made absolutely no sense now.

I had wanted Edward out of my head, and for weeks, I'd imagined ways to make myself let go of him. The only way that I'd settled on had been doing something drastic…with Jacob. I knew it wouldn't be fair to Jacob, but I hadn't cared at the time. It had seemed like such a good idea last night.

Restless with anticipation, I'd gotten up early and told Charlie I had a project to work on at the Library.

Jacob's expression was burned into my mind. The delighted look on his face, when I'd busted in, hair soaked, white shirt clinging to my heaving chest, and jumped over his workbench to wrap my legs around his waist, had been priceless. The moment our lips touched, his skin much too hot for my liking, I'd felt the stab of regret in my chest.

_ You can't do this._

My heart had informed me, just a little too late. I tried to force the feelings away, to envision _someone else_ on the other end of this exchange, but his hands were too rough, his lips too hot, his control too far gone. I tried to pull my legs down, to let go, but he held on tightly.

Thunder boomed shaking the shack of a garage.

"Jacob… please." I whispered as he pushed me back onto the hood of his car roughly, taking my pleading all wrong. He was pushing my shirt up and leaving a burning trail under his touch. My stomach tightened painfully with each kiss. He seemed to be everywhere at once. He pulled on my t-shirt, slipping his hands up my stomach. his lips grazing my neck, but not hesitating at the pulse point.

I tried pushing my shirt down, pulling up on my elbows away from him, but he was so much stronger.

"Bella… come on… you're the one who attacked me." He punctuated his sentence with kisses across my ribs, up to my breastbone. An amused smile stretched across his face. He thought I was playing a game.

Lightning snaked through the window, a loud crack following shortly. The dull yellow lights flickered off. Jacob barely paused.

"I can't…" I tried to push him away, but instead he pulled me closer, holding on tighter. His lips crushed mine again as he climbed over me, onto the hood of the black car. The car groaned under his weight. I suddenly felt like a cornered animal. I had to get away.

"Jacob… Jacob… I still love _him_...Edward. I can't do this. I thought I could. I wanted to. But I can't." The unmasked hatred in his eyes when he'd looked at me had been more than I was prepared for.

"J…Jacob." I stuttered as his body began to shudder.

Tears began anew at the memory. I pulled my phone from my pocket and let it rest in my lap so I wouldn't forget to let Charlie know I was going home before work. I just needed a second to get control of myself before I talked to him.

I strained forward, squinting through my tears at the fogged glass. I glared angrily at the defroster that wasn't doing its job. I pulled up on the steering wheel, as if being closer to the windshield would make it easier to see. Swiping roughly with the back of my hand, I tried to clear my eyes.

What is it…? Murphy's Law? Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. That's my life. Everything that could possibly go wrong always seems to go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Visibility was low; the headlights useless against the grey fog. The highway blurred behind the glass, grey and green streaks behind smudged droplets.

I jumped, swerving a little on the slick pavement of the one-oh-one. I glared down at my phone vibrating in my lap, speckled with blood and mud.

"Charlie…" I muttered, seeing that I had missed a call and had a new message. I flipped the phone open, knowing it was a bad idea for me to multitask, but listened to the message anyway.

"You have one unheard message," the woman said mechanically.

"Bella… call me back immediately. Jacob just called, really angry, and said you had some kind of fight and accident and you got upset and left. Call me right away or I'm coming after you. Jacob's already headed out behind you to make sure you're ok." Charlie's voice was assertive. He had that I'm-the-officer-in-charge-here tone. I knew I had to call him right away, or there would be no dealing with him later.

"Message sent at 9:32 am," she informed me.

I glanced at the clock. 9:40. Damn, Charlie was probably already headed down the one-oh-one too, looking for me.

--

Let me know what you thought! Things are about to get going.


	4. Breathe

I own nothing copyrighted or otherwise publicly recognizable.

***This is an extra long one. I hope you enjoy. Please comment!

-

--

_Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,_

_And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table._

_No one can find the rewind button, boys,_

_So cradle your head in your hands,_

_And breathe... just breathe,_

_Oh breathe, just breathe_

_--_

_-_

_EdwardPOV  
_

I ran.

The chorus of heartbeat greeted me as I wound my way through the dark, deep woods. I sorted through, matching the thoughts and the heartbeats, until I found one that had no match. The solitary.

I sighed, something akin to hope in my heart, for the moment at least. I don't know what I expected— to see her, to touch her, to hear her voice? I didn't know, but I let the foreign hopefulness rest.

The rain drummed a steady beat against the forest floor, dripping and cascading through the branches. Breezes, thick with musky pine, danced and swayed with the towering trees. Thunder echoed the bass to the symphony in the distance.

Bella's light shone, beckoning me through the darkness. It had been near 2AM when I'd left the house. She must not be sleeping well. I slowed from the uncharacteristic gait as I neared the edge of the wood, and the path I'd left her on so long ago.

For a moment, I pretended things were as they used to be. I'd just gone home to change clothes, she had fallen asleep in my arms and I would be there again as she woke up. I would hum her awake to the bittersweet melody of her lullaby. The lullaby I'd never been able to finish.

As the end of the path neared, I saw her at the window. My heart ached at the sight of her. She was leaning on the windowsill, eyes closed, breaths coming deeply and purposefully. I stood for a moment, just watching. She'd never really liked the rain, but she was watching it with appreciation in her expression.

I couldn't help the gnawing ache in my chest at the sight of her, the tremble of a muscle that had long since ceased trembling, or the burning of eyes that hadn't burned in time measured by centuries. I knew I shouldn't go to her, but that's exactly what I longed to do. Scale the building, and take her in my arms, kiss away the pain, and years of hurt and absence.

Her face changed, contorted in thought. She gnawed her lip and stared blankly into the rainy night. I wished for an innumerable time that her mind were open to me. If only I could know what she was thinking. If she would want to see me again. She looked as if she were plotting. That almost brought a smile to my face.

She sighed softly, taking one last deep breath. Her eyes closed and as they opened she looked as if she were staring right at me. She blinked-- straining to see through the dark drizzle for a moment where I stood hidden among the trees. I held my breath, hoping-- hoping she had actually seen me. She waited, biting her lip then stepped back to pull the window closed. She struggled for a moment but with a squeak it shut. I felt the hope drain from my heart as she flipped the latch closed and drew the curtain.

She had ceased waiting.

Wasn't that what I'd wanted? Yes and no. Always the conflict. I'd wanted her to stay away and wanted her to love me. I'd wanted to stay and loved her too much to stay.

I wanted to go burst through that window, to hell with locks. She'd take me back for the last night of my life, but… I didn't want to drag her into this. This was the reason I'd left her here in the first place. I didn't want to hurt her anymore. My pain was bearable and I didn't want to dig up hers.

I don't know how long I stayed in that exact position, kneeling in the dampness of the woods but an ominous grey was tingeing the night air when I abandoned my thoughts of going to her, and shifted out of the cover of the woods.

I sighed, walking slowly towards her house. I hid the box under the slat on the porch, where it was supposed to be hidden, and walked away— I couldn't muster the energy or will to run— fighting the urge to go back, to look back, the rest of the way home.

Jasper would look out for her. He could make sure she was safe without the complication of entanglements. He could think of her as something to be protected, cared for and nothing more. That's what she needed. Not the obsessive love of a monster. She would be free now. And safe. All that she deserved.

The black SUV waited in the monochromatic morning. I could see the others already inside, already waiting. I opened the door and slid in next to Esme.

_Did you see her?_ Emmett asked silently without turning around.

"No," I lied.

"Is your hair longer? You look so scruffy," Rosalie commented inappropriately from the back, running her fingers through the back of my hair.

My eyes locked with Carlisle's in the mirror.

"His hair can't grow, just like yours, Rose." Emmett chuckled from the front.

Rosalie shrugged, as Alice came out the front door, Jasper close behind. The agony on his face, was something I had come to know well myself, greeted like an old friend. I tried to keep out of Alice and Jasper's heads as they said goodbye.

"Let me go instead. Please, I can't let you go for me. I _won't_ let you go for me." His voice was raw, like something that had been cut ragged with a dull knife.

"This is how it has to be. Trust me." Alice said as she turned and ran through the rain.

_You'll move on. You'll keep living your life. I love you…_

I pushed her door open, and she slid in beside me. The haunted look in her over sized eyes would have hurt me were I able to hurt anymore.

I wrapped my arm around her as she shook with grief, and visions I didn't want to see shifted through her mind.

"When did these start Alice?" I could feel the anguish in my voice as the words spilled from my mouth. Carlisle eyed us in the mirror. The permanent worry still etched on his face, deepening.

_When he agreed to stay_. She answered silently.

"Did you tell him?" I asked aloud, the rest of the family trying to feign disinterest at the seemingly one-sided conversation they'd become accustomed to.

She buried her face in my shoulder, and a soft 'no' filtered through my mind.

*

*

*

_JasperPOV_

Time passed. I don't know how much. The realization of what I'd just allowed to happen hit me full force. I was completely bewildered. I'd massacred every animal within five miles of the house in my blind anguish fueled rage. At least, I wouldn't be as tempted should this— errand involve a certain sweet smelling little girl.

The garage was dark. I got in my truck, plain and simple amidst the family collection of foreign cars that would rival even the world's most prestigious collectors. I liked my old truck, and I didn't want to go. Honestly, I didn't want to care what was going on at mile marker 195, but Alice had asked me to go. Well, actually she'd _told_ me to go. I sighed, turning the key in the ignition, and with a groan, the engine sparked to life.

The problem was, the only thing that I could think of happening on a highway, that I would really be needed for, would be a car wreck. It seemed logical, except, why would Alice send me onto a bloody wreck scene? The idea of me soaked in someone's blood, especially Bella's fragrant blood, without killing in front of an audience, was almost laughable. Actually I didn't even need to be soaked in her blood, just smelling it from a mile away would probably be enough to snap my control.

It had happened before.

Wasn't Bella's 18th birthday enough evidence of that? Alice had been there. She would know better. Alice wouldn't do that to me— or Bella.

So it must be something else. Another vampire perhaps? Maybe Victoria seeking revenge. The idea of a fight put me at ease. I just needed to take care of a pest. Restraint had never been my strong suit, but killing— I had always been good at that.

As I drove out of town, down the one hundred one, I let my mind wander to where Alice might be. Probably on a jet, half way around the world. The whole idea felt horribly surreal. I still felt that when I got home she would be there, her and the rest of the family.

My Alice, my saving grace, and she was gone.

_Don't think like that. Focus._

Right so, Edward wanted me to look out for Bella, but what did that mean? Sit outside her window and and watch her, and follow her like _he_ did? I'm not really the_ sit-in-the-shadowy-forest-and-stalk-someone_ kind of guy. But, what options did that leave? I thought on that as I raced down the highway.

_I'll go talk to her, see how she's doing, tell her to call me if she sees anything suspicious. That would be sufficient, right?_

I convinced myself that would be the least… messy. I didn't want to tell her about the rest of the family.

_Damn. Traffic. _

I sighed as I came to a halt at the back of a long line of cars. I shifted settling into the seat of my black Ford.

And what exactly did Carlisle mean? He wanted me to tell other Vampires about us. Right, well, how exactly did he think I was going to be preaching the vampire gospel? Hold a revival? Maybe get a choir and preach the good news? I didn't have the faintest idea of how to carry out Carlisle's request.

And the idea of an unfulfilled promise didn't sit well with me. There were promises in my past that I wish I'd been able to keep. So,there's no way in hell I'm going to go back on any of these.

The traffic was at a standstill. The red brake lights glared back at me. My eyes flickered to the clock with mounting impatience.

9:41. At this rate I'd have to get out and run to get there in time. As the old green digital numbers shifted to 9:42, I opened the old door with a creak, and a sigh.

I received several blaring honks as I _trotted_, thanks to the human presence, through the line of traffic.

"Hey Buddy! Where do you think you're going?" I waved, at the lumberjack-looking man shouting out his window and continued on. As I jogged along I felt a sense of…

_Panic_. The air was thick, _too_ thick. The array of emotions swimming before me was dizzying. I could taste the horror in the air; feel the fear reaching up over the rising hill to me.

_What did you get me into, Alice?_

I paused as I came over a steep hill in the road; the rich aroma of sweet life came wafting on the breeze. The instinct wanted to take over, as it always did. My muscles coiled and tensed, my throat seared, but somehow I remained in place. I stopped breathing in effort to clear my head. I waited, hoping my body could relax. Hoping this wouldn't have to end with me as a mass murderer—again.

Slowly the tenseness eased in my legs, then my arms and neck. The venom continued surging through my body like amplified adrenaline. Keeping me ready for attack.

I surveyed the scene ahead. The hill was just steep enough to block the view of those behind me. My eyes first locked on a white sedan where the scent was concentrated. The thick crimson liquid called to me, screamed to me. My head was clouded. The battle for control was raging inside me, and the monster was winning. The monster always won.

_You can race down there. No one will see. Just take one. No one will know. No one. _

And as I was about to move to the white sedan and see what might be available for… taking… I saw _her_ truck.

Flipped upside down. Front end smashed in. Glass everywhere.

_Oh God._

If she died, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I had promised to keep her safe, and here was an opportunity. I could satisfy myself for the moment, or I could save a life…_her_ life. The only life in the world that mattered now that I was alone. There were only two choices here: I could fulfill my promise to Edward, or I could turn my back on him. The latter seemed like it wasn't even an option. I knew I couldn't do that. I've always been a man of my word—almost always. I had to look out for Bella. But could I get her out without killing her myself? I didn't know.

_I can do it if I don't ever smell her blood._ I pretended that would work.

The screams of a woman pierced the air. The horror and fear circulating in the grey morning were almost as apparent as the white fog. I spit a mouth full of the venom pooling in my mouth out onto the ground, and sprinted to her truck. I appeared next to a man kneeling at the window, calling to her.

_Don't breathe._

"Miss! Miss! Are you ok? Can you hear me?"

No answer.

"Let me try." I gruffly insisted, almost physically removing him from the space I needed to occupy. I was irritated at having to use any of the stored breath in my lungs. Breathing was not an option. She couldn't die. Not while I was supposed to be keeping her alive. Alice knew she'd have this wreck, and was making sure I was here to save her. Why would Alice think I could save her? Why _me_? Surely my presence posed more of a risk to her life than anything. Why would she have sent _me_ specifically?

"Bella!" I called through the shattered window.

No response.

I tensed as a new scent assaulted my senses. Even without breathing I could taste it in the air, almost as strong as the blood. Gasoline. Strong and overbearing. I glanced over my shoulder, at the flames licking up the hood of the white sedan, then followed the scent with my eyes to the smashed front of Bella's truck. And then I understood why I had to be here. But why would Alice have me do this to myself… for this human girl? I knew Alice loved her nearly as much as Edward, but _this_ much?

I watched her blood splatter a chorus on the roof of the truck.

_Don't breathe. _

*

*

*

_BellaPOV_

My head throbbed. The pain my only link to reality. The pulsing of my head, the beating in my temples, the only things beyond the darkness. Then slowly other sensations came.

My face felt like it might pop. It throbbed too. I couldn't breath. Something was wrapped around my neck like a noose.

My eyes ached. I tried to open them. No luck. Again. This time they obeyed. They felt gritty like sand beneath my eyelids. The world was a strange bright blob. Overwhelmingly light. I couldn't make out anything but odd shapes, distorted figures.

My arms— they weren't where they were supposed to be. Rather than down at my sides where I'd expected them, they were above my head, throbbing in tempo with my head, and my ears. I realized I could hear nothing but my own pulse, and an odd drumming.

All of my realizations came in rapid fire, overwhelming me for a few moments.

What had happened? My heart accelerated and with it my face pulsed more quickly.

I recalled the slick highway, and Charlie's message, but after that… nothing. Had something happened?

And then as I began sorting out the situation, aware of my body once more, the panic came.

_I'm trapped. I'm hurt. I'm going to die._

I clawed at my neck, trying to free myself from my restraints. I thrashed and cried to no avail. I looked up at the ceiling, as I tried to free myself from the seat belt. Then I noticed what the drumming had been. My blood was steadily dripping from several different places against the roof of the truck.

I jerked as a voice broke through my haze.

"…Bella. Breathe Bella,"

That face was the last one I'd wanted to see… _ever_.

Last time I'd seen him he'd been fighting to get to me. His teeth had been snapping inches from my face. Horrifying snarls had been unleashed from _that_ mouth. Those golden eyes had been darkened with heady lust to burn red again. The stigma the length of my left arm pulsed with horrified remembrance.

"No! Not you! Someone else… not you…" My horror rose as he grimaced in the pain of restraint.

"…Bella, please. I won't hurt you. Please…" his pleas fell on deaf ears. I heard nothing but the velvety voice of a predator.

"No!" I screamed as he reached toward me. He was more dangerous than my present circumstance.

"Be Quiet!" he silenced my screams with the ferocity of his tone-- more like a growl. My cries were drawing an audience, and I noticed then that he looked… nervous. He was afraid of himself. He didn't _want_ to hurt me.

"I'm just going to get your seat belt. I won't hurt you." He seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince me. I watched as he took one ragged breath, his eyes strained, his mouth tight, his muscles taut with restraint.

"Get someone else. Please…" I cried as he reached for me again.

He hesitated, looking behind him, as if he were considering that option. "There's no one else."

He seemed to steel himself, and slid across his back on the shards of glass underneath me. A normal man would have been shred to pieces by that action. His shirt was.

I hung inches above him. Our noses almost grazing. He reached for the seat belt holding me suspended.

"I'll get you out." The steely determination in his eyes was a little frightening, but since he was determined in my favor, I tried to push the feeling away. His eyes were so raw, so feral in their resolve.

I shivered as his icy hand grazed my arm. The warning I'd never seemed to be able to accept from Edward's hard cold skin bellowed at me now.

_Get away from him! He's dangerous! Run! _

He was punching the seat belt buckle with little success. He reached up then, more quickly now, to my neck where the belt was making my shallow breaths more difficult to draw.

As his hand grazed my neck, I cried out "NO!"

I squirmed out of his grasp, flailing and crying wildly.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

"Look at me Bella. _Look at me_." He gripped my chin in his icy cold hand. Dull waves of relaxation seemed to try to reach me but did little to influence my panic. My stinging, bloodshot eyes, met his dark panicked ones. A dark trail of crimson snaked down his arm from my jaw. A drop of blood dripped onto his cheek. His jaw tightened grinding his teeth. His eyes fluttered closed, and for a moment I feared he would snap.

He opened his mouth a little, taking in a deep breath. He trembled ever so slightly.

"Jasper… I don't want to die. Please…" all I could manage was a dull whisper but I knew he heard. He hesitated a moment more, maybe weighing if he could kill me without anyone seeing. Maybe, trying to convince himself not to kill me.

I cried. Hysterical, gasping sobs, because I knew I would die then. I knew I would bleed out, one way or another.

He swiped it away, leaving a bright streak on his pallid skin. When he looked at me again, his eyes were black and hard. I shivered again.

"Relax Bella. I'm not going to… hurt you." His hesitation fueled my frenzy.

"Get away please! Please get away!"

His voice was thick with emotions I didn't want to name, "Do you hear that sound Bella? Do you smell that? That's gasoline dripping from your truck out onto the ground. And that car that hit you is on fire. It may be awhile before an ambulance gets here, and it could be longer for a fire truck. We're far out and traffic is blocking the highways. I'm the only one who can get you out. Now let me." He demanded in his strained voice.

Why? Why did he care? He would walk away from this completely unscathed; I was the only one in danger.

I whimpered as he broke the strap at my neck with a quick jerk of his hand. It snapped like a rubber band. My body bent awkwardly towards him. Still suspended above him he held on to my forearms, keeping me steadied.

"BELLA!" a familiar voice cried from somewhere beyond. Jasper growled, deep and low. The sound sent fresh chills across my skin.

Jacob appeared at the window, at Jasper's feet.

"What the—" he muttered. Jacob grabbed Jasper's ankles and immediately jerked him. Jasper growled again as he kicked at Jacob, trying to hang on to something less fragile than me, trying to stay with me in the cab.

I couldn't see his face but as Jacob bellowed, "Get out of there you bloodsucker—!" I could imagine it contorted in rage.

"Jacob, stop!" I cried as he struggled to pull Jasper from the cab. I couldn't decide which of them I was more afraid of in that moment. They'd both tried to kill me, before. I wanted out and if Jasper was the quickest way, so be it. Just let this be over!

"I won't let that _leech touch you_…"

Jasper didn't say a word, but as he found the frame of the truck with his hands, he steadied himself and kicked Jacob squarely in the stomach. Jacob staggered for a second, giving Jasper time to get his hand around the restraint at my waist. His hand almost trembled as he grazed my hipbone. I should have fallen right on top of him, but I fell to the roof of the truck onto a bed of sharp glass. He was gone. It was almost like falling through an apparition. I wondered for that split second if I'd imagined him.

Glass sliced my skin, spilling fresh blood on the ground. I tried to stem the crimson flow. I knew Jasper's control had to be shot. I didn't know how he was doing this or why, but I knew the new blood would be impossible for him. My stomach churned at the scent.

Their shouting drew my fading mind.

Then I found Jacob over my shoulder, pulling on Jasper roughly, and Jasper jerking to get back in the cab with me, wildly reaching for my arms.

"Bella! Bella! Take my hand. Hurry!" he hollered over a din I couldn't name.

Our eyes locked for one fleeting moment, and the horror I read there undid any semblance of control I had.

"JASPER!" I screamed.

I don't know how it happened, but one second I was trying to get a hold of Jasper grasping frantically for his outstretched hand and the next, flames were licking at the side of the car. They reached in for me.

And then he was there, his cold arms protecting me from the oncoming flames. They taunted as they danced around us, but I was protected. I was safe in his unlikely arms.

"PULL!" He shouted his voice edged with hysteria.

In a moment we were free of the burning cab. Fresh air assaulted my burning lungs. I clung to him, too frightened to let go. Any fear I'd had of him before was completely forgotten in that moment.

"You're alright." He patted my shoulder as I sobbed my relief and fear, and pain against him. My hands grasped fistfuls of his shirt, I couldn't let go. My legs felt shaky, my breath felt ineffective, my skin as icy as his.

"Bella... Bella..." I felt Jacob at my elbow.

"Just breathe…" came Jasper's soft voice and then nothingness took hold again.

-

You know what to do. Comment. :)


	5. Fallen

I own nothing Twilight, copyrighted or otherwise publicly recognizable.

**Enjoy.

-

—

Though I've tried, I've fallen...

I have sunk so low

I have messed up

Better I should know

So don't come round here

And tell me I told you so...

We all begin with good intent

Love was raw and young

We believed that we could change ourselves

The past could be undone

But we carry on our backs the burden

Time always reveals

The lonely light of morning

The wound that would not heal

It's the bitter taste of losing everything

That I have held so dear.

—

-

_BellaPOV_

The dull beep of a monitor stirred my unconscious mind. I heard it slowly pick up speed.

My eyes ached as I opened them, actually my entire body ached. Fluorescent lights glared down at me. I tried to sit up. The crease of my elbow seared. IV.

My head felt like it had disconnected from my body, floating for the ceiling like a balloon, and I felt like someone had jabbed something sharp between my ribs.

Right, lie still.

"Ah, Miss Swan. How are you feeling?" A doctor I vaguely recognized came strolling in. He looked too cheery for how horrible I felt.

"Like hell." My voice was raspy.

He chuckled good-naturedly "That's to be expected. You were in quite an accident. It's a miracle you're not more hurt."

"It feels like I'm plenty hurt."

"Well, I suppose you are." He rambled off the list of my ailments with surprising good cheer, "You broke two ribs. You have a concussion, a fractured wrist, and you had quite a bit of glass in your arms. Oh, and those nasty cuts across your cheek. A good plastic surgeon could fix you right up. I'm sure Charlie will want to get one from Seattle right away." He finished his assessment of my poor condition with a smile.

"Er, so when can I go ho—" as I was finishing my sentence something shifted in my peripheral vision. I nearly jumped out of my skin. The pace of the monitor soared, wiping that smile from the doctor's face.

"Whoa.. Easy there kiddo. It's just Mr. Hale. He stayed behind while your dad went to pick up your mom," He wasn't moving. He was breathing rhythmically. His eyes tightly shut. All of it came crashing over me again. The wreck. He had saved me.

"Oh, right. He just startled me. I didn't see him there at first." I tried not to dwell on the irony of it all. I saw Edward lying there as I stared at the familiar couch. But it was Jasper here, not Edward.

I remembered then what Jacob had said, they were back! "Where's Dr. Cullen?"

"Oh, the good doctor," he chuckled like he'd just told a very funny joke. It was lost on me, "He was only in town with his family for a couple days. I heard they all left again, but I guess Jasper here stayed behind. Lucky for you." My heart plummeted into my stomach. He hadn't come back for me at all. He was gone again. He didn't even try to see me.

Indeed, lucky for me. That revelation brought up a thousand new questions. Why was Jasper still here? Why was he out on that highway? It made no sense. Jasper would have some explaining to do once this doctor cleared the room.

"Right, well I'm pretty tired."

"That's to be expected. Just buzz the nurse if you need more pain medicine."

"Thanks."

He smiled again as he exited the room, rubbing his dark beard.

"You can stop pretending." I whispered the words for some reason. He still frightened me, and I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I'd never been completely alone with him before. There was probably good reason for that.

The corner of his mouth lifted before he opened his eyes. His eyes— they were blackest black. Onyx. Endless. Soulless. Horrifying. He didn't need the increased speed of the monitor to sense my fear, or hear the acceleration.

"Easy there. It's ok."

In my earlier panic I hadn't really seen him. He looked like he'd been to hell and back. He looked like a vampire straight out of a horror film. His shirt was stained with blood that was probably mine. His eyes were frighteningly dark. The circles beneath them had passed the usual pale purplish hue and went straight for black. And as his smile faded, the light caught his startlingly white teeth.

He rose slowly. I felt the color—what little there may have been— drain from my face.

"Bella, breath. Are you ok?" His worried expression looked all wrong on his demonic features.

"Are _you _ok?" I hadn't meant to sound so accusing, but the intent of my words colored their presentation.

His finger flew to the—for all appearances sake— bruised flesh beneath his flat dark eye. How was he keeping himself under control? Just a few years ago he'd snapped at the sight of one drop of my blood. How was this possible, and how long until his control wavered?

"I promise, I'm ok. I won't hurt you." And then he muttered something too low for me to hear.

"We'll get you a good plastic surgeon for those…"

_Why did he hesitate?_

"…_Glass_ cuts," He finished looking at me like he knew exactly what they were, but how could he?

"That's not necess—"

"Bella! Oh my baby!" Renee came bursting through the door. Her hair, a slightly redder shade of mine, was dishelved and wildly sticking up in the back. Her eyes were rimmed in red. She hadn't been taking good care of herself at all.

"Mom, I'm ok really." Jasper shifted out of the way, and to the background as my parents made their loud entrance.

"Oh sweetheart! I'm so glad to see you awake!" she swiped at the tears brimming over her eyes. She pulled a chair from a table in the corner to the edge of my bed, and Charlie came to stand over me on the other side. He looked as if he might need to wipe at some tears too. As glad as I was to see my mom, it was completely unnecessary for her to come all the way up here. I doubt she even had the extra money for the ticket.

"Mom, you really didn't need to come all the way up here. What about Phil? I'm sure he's missing you already."

Charlie coughed, "Er, what'd the Doctor say Bella?"

"Ah, I'm fine. I just have to wait a little bit to go home."

Jasper cleared his throat from the back of the room, drawing my parent's attention.

"That's not entirely true." He smiled brightly, flashing a row of perfectly white straight teeth, that I guessed— in my mother's eyes—detracted from his frightening appearance. My mother whipped around, I guessed she hadn't seen him as I hadn't before, and I guessed somehow the ignorance of what he was made him seem less menacing.

Renee appraised him for a second, seeming to only see the man and not the monster. My mom shot me a look out of the corner of her eye with eyebrows raised. All she could see was the facade. She just saw an overly handsome man, not the monster he was.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Renee said, still smiling out of the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, my apologies. I'm Jasper Hale. Bella and I are old friends." His voice was velvety again, and something about it set me on edge. Maybe because I knew about the illusions, I noticed them at work more readily. He was willing her belief, her trust, and I didn't want her to trust him. I didn't trust him. Despite what he'd done for me, I was convinced it was some kind of a fluke. There was no way he had suddenly changed. People don't change— let alone Vampires.

"Well Jasper, then you're the one who saved my baby." She winked at me as she spoke. And the uneasiness in my heart relaxed, she wasn't under any illusion. I was imaging things.

"I'm hardly a baby mom. I'm twenty." I tried to smile up at her, but she saw the false note to it, and frowned as she stroked the hair back from my feverish face.

"You need to rest. We'll all be waiting here when you wake up." She kissed my forehead and led the others out of the room. My eyes lingered on Jasper's back as he exited. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine for a split second. Their depth was frightening. I couldn't shake the uneasiness that settled in my stomach.

That's what I was afraid of. They would all be waiting when I woke up. Jasper, and Jacob, and Charlie and Renee and a thousand questions would have to be asked and answered.

*

*

*

_JacobPOV_

I climbed up the big tree at the side of the house. Jumping wildly toward the eaves below the window, I caught the edge of the roof. I climbed up, trying my best to be silent. But with a large body, it is hard to make quiet movements. As I crouched below her window, I saw her sitting at her desk before that artifact of a computer, pecking at the keyboard with one hand. I looked around me, making sure none of the neighbors had seen my acrobatics, even under the cover of near darkness. Coast was clear.

I rapt softly on the window. She whipped around, her face alight. I watched it fall in disappointment. She had been expecting someone else to be here. An email disappeared from the screen as she quickly turned and flipped the monitor off.

She sat staring at me for a moment. I noted the fresh white bandage at her cheek. Would she not let me in?

I would understand. There was no reason for her to want to hear me out. I had betrayed her trust and her faith. I'd been the one giving her hope that life could be different, that people could be different and all that I had done was prove that none of us were trustworthy. That all any of us would do is hurt and betray her. She deserved so much more, and I'd always intended to give her what she deserved.

I tried my best to look contrite and pressed my palm to the window. She looked torn, and cut her eyes towards her door. Was she thinking of running from me? Or just worrying about Charlie seeing me here? We both knew he'd kill me, whether or not that was figurative or literal I wasn't sure.

"Please Bella. Just hear me out." I said through the fogged glass.

Slowly she rose, wincing and clutching at her ribs with her unbraced hand. She came to the window and flipped the latch then went back to her chair. She sat slowly then leaned forward, her chin on her good hand, her elbows on her knee. She looked at me expectantly as I pushed up the window and awkwardly climbed through the small opening. I stumbled to the floor with a loud 'thud'.

We both waited in silence, ears cocked to the side to see if we heard Charlie on the stairs.

"That seems so much cooler in movies." I whispered as I tried to lighten the mood. There was no lightening this gloom.

I tried a different approach, "You look better, but shouldn't you still be in bed?" She just stared. Right, so she hadn't forgiven me at all.

"Bella, please know I never intended to hurt you." Her eyebrows shot up. She shifted, leaning back, her face switching from anger to something else. She just looked like a hurt little girl. How did she do that? She looked so perfectly small and innocent, and all I was was a beast, an animal who hurt her.

"Don't look at me like that. I would rather die than hurt you. I know how many times you've been hurt by people you care about and I'm sorry that I've been added to that list._ I'm sorry._ I don't know how to make this ok. But please know I will do everything in my power to earn your trust back. Please forgive me, Bella."

"I've already forgiven you, Jacob. I know I wasn't playing fair before. I'm just afraid now."

That expression on her face looked like something other than forgiveness, but that was Bella. She couldn't stay angry, she couldn't hold a grudge, no matter how deserving her anger might be, or how much she wanted to stay angry.

"Bella. There is no reason to be afraid of me." I held up a hand to silence her immediate protests, clearly our last encounter had proved otherwise. "You took me one hundred percent off guard. You can't know how I've wanted to take our relationship there but I didn't want to push you. I wanted to wait for you to feel it was right. And there you were, straight out of my dreams. You were real, and beautiful and you wanted me the same way I wanted you."

"Jacob…"

"Let me finish." I waited for my voice to steady, shuffling my foot along the worn floorboard. "I love you, and I wasn't prepared to hear you say you love _him_. I was expecting my name at the end of that sentence and I couldn't control my anger. I just wanted to let you know that it was in no way intentional. I wouldn't have hurt you for anything."

"I know. And that's what I wanted to say, I'm the one who should apologize… I was the one who instigated the whole mess."

I smiled sadly at that. She had to take everything on herself. She was blaming herself for me going berserk and shifting into a beast and slashing her face. Would she see fault in no one?

"Well, I would disagree but I know that wouldn't get us anywhere. We'd be arguing until the morning." She smiled, but it wasn't wholehearted. It wasn't the smile I'd come to love, that warmed me from the inside out.

"I see you got a surgeon."

"Yeah, one from New York showed up at the hospital." She glared down at her hands, her brow knit in irritation, "No bill."

"What? How does that just happen?"

"It doesn't. It means one of the Cullens sent him, and paid him. I would assume it was Jasper since I haven't…" she paused and shifted in her seat. What was that about? "…heard from any of the rest of them. Charlie was ready to empty his savings on a good doctor, but the best in the nation showed up in Forks."

Of course, one of them would always be at her elbow. The second I screw up one of them swoops in to make me look like a jerk. Of course. How does a guy compete with that?

"He doesn't…" My eyes shot up, was she answering my thought? I almost laughed, she couldn't be. She wasn't one of those freaks. She didn't read minds or manipulate emotions or see the future. She was just Bella.

"He doesn't what?" I asked, waiting for her to finish her real thought. She looked up surprised, like she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Oh, I was just thinking he doesn't seem the same— Jasper."

"Oh. I wouldn't know."

"Right…" She looked like she wanted to say something else. She used to tell me everything.

"Have you seen him again?"

"No. Not in the week since I've been home. I think he left."

"That would be like them—leaving without a word."

"Right. Well, you better go before Charlie hears you. I may have forgiven you, but he hasn't, even though he doesn't know the real story."

"Yeah… thanks for covering for me."

"No problem. See you, Jacob."

"Bye Bella."

I stood in the room for a minute after I said goodbye. She looked up at me with those rounded brown eyes.

"Take care of yourself." She said softly as I exited the window.

The ache in my chest felt strangely like goodbye.

-

*Ready to hear from the Cullens? Comment please.


	6. When in Rome

***Alright there will be a few things that differ from the Twilight version of things, but nothing too major. I wanted to keep it close to the Twilight characters and keep that plot. Hope you enjoy! Also all of this goes back to the time of Bella's wreck. Jasper has just left the hospital, the Cullens just left Forks. Just to clarify.

-

—

Where can a sick man go

When he can't choke down the medicine,

The old Doc knows.

A specialist came to town, but he stays at home,

saying no one knows, so I don't, Honey, when in Rome.

Where can a teacher go?

Wherever she thinks people need the things she knows.

Hey, those books you gave us look good on the shelves at home,

And they'll burn warm in the fireplace, Teacher, when in Rome.

Grab a blanket, sister, we'll make smoke signals.

Bring in some new blood

It feels like we're alone.

Grab a blanket, brother,

so we don't catch cold from one another

Oh, I wonder if we're stuck in Rome.

Where can a dead man go?

A question with an answer only dead men know.

But I'm gonna bet they never really feel at home,

If they spend a lifetime learning how to live in Rome.

—

-

_JasperPOV_

Plans. What ever turns out as we plan? There's little purpose in the obsessive human tendency that I have unfortunately retained. Maybe because I had been a planner in my past life— obsessed with strategizing and arranging everything— it stuck with me. My ambition is what drew Maria's attention after all. That was something I would have liked to have lost, right along with the creased brow and migraines. But plans I make, and plans I break.

The particular plan I'm referring to happens to be the one I formulated on how to look out for Bella. That was such a tricky promise. Other things, you can just do— complete an objective— but when a person is involved so is their will. Of course, I could sometimes finagle their emotions a little, have them feel a particular emotion that would make them more receptive. But still, some of them, Bella for instance, happened to be particularly resistant to that. At the wreck she remained utterly terrified even when I was drawing as much strength as I could to calm her. I was just going to check up on her, give her my cell phone number and be on my way to God knows where. But nothing is ever that easy, especially whens she is involved.

The wreck. The way she clung to me, as if I were her savior or something. As I'd ridden to the hospital, her clutching my hand, she'd muttered things in her half-coherent state. "Don't leave me. Don't leave me." Over and over. What do I do with that? She was semi-conscious and terrified, sure, but something about her desperate plea made my plan seem like— it wasn't nearly enough. She looked so fragile with needles in her arms, and cuts all across her skin. I knew she was breakable, and vulnerable— she was human after all— but something about the moment stuck with me. Her expression when she found out the Cullens were gone. I was fairly strangled by the oppressive sadness that descended on that hospital room. I could relate.

And when she'd woken up. Even as I'd sat in that hospital room, soaking up the horror from that frightened child, the killer was there. It echoed in my mind—reminding me what I was. The thing that impressed me, however, was that for a moment, as I sat in there with her, I was reminded exactly of all the reasons I wanted to be… something else. Not the carnal animal that always wanted to take control. I wished with everything in me when she asked if I was ok, that I could tell her I wouldn't hurt her, that she had no reason to fear me. I wanted to say I was no one to fear. For a moment, my want stifled my addiction. But of course, the moment I left that little girl in the hospital, away from her penetrating eyes that saw too easily into my struggle. Her eyes that knew all too well what was going on in my mind, what was going on in my body, my control wavered. My will lapsed.

"_You know you'll do it. Just one. After what you just endured? You deserve it. No one will know." _

Once I couldn't shut down that side of me I knew I needed to go hunting. I didn't need blood, I'd just fed, but I needed the _hunt_ for blood. The capture of something weaker than me. Sounds dark, huh? Even to me. But that's what I am. Dark and messed up.

I remember leaving the hospital. I knew she'd be ok. Her parents were there, the doctor said she'd be fine, but I still felt a little guilty. Like any minute I wasn't there something could happen and my word would be shot to hell. My conversation with Edward— the promise I'd made— seemed like it was stuck on replay in my head. The hunt would end my tedious human worry, and release me into more base instincts. Animals don't worry.

I headed out into the darkened forest as the gloom of rain shadowed the day. The faint muskiness of the storm mingled with the stiff breeze. And then— then I caught the faintest scent of them. Light, yet completely overwhelming.

Why those hikers had to be out in the woods on _that_ day, I'll never know. The faint whiff of their scent was my undoing. I knew better than to go any closer, but I did. They taunted with their most tempting aroma. And as I got closer, I got closer to the edge. The overwhelming invitation of their warmed bodies, heightened by the warm rain. It was too much. Maybe because of what I'd just been exposed to, whatever the reason, I was too weak to resist.

Her wide brown eyes are fixed in my mind. Horrified, and painfully familiar. The all too familiar crescent shaped slit at her neck reminded me of the one I'd noticed on Bella, the same ones that marred my marble flesh. This woman had someone who loved her, who would be devastated without her. I knew the feeling, hadn't I just lost many people I loved, and my common ground with the nameless person was all too much.

I buried her and the one with her deep in the forest, erasing evidence of what had happened. What I'd done. But nothing could be done for the guilt— my guilt. I reported it myself, at least so their families could get some peace. Their families. I felt sick as I left the anonymous tip saying I'd seen someone coming out of the woods with a bloody shovel. I even left one on the roadside.

Back at the house, I headed into my bathroom to shower away the stains, and maybe a little of my conscience with it. This used to be a routine. Kill, Grieve, Drown. I hadn't settled into this familiar routine in years. But oh how the bottom of this pit feels like a long forgotten home. The Jail cell I lived in for so long. Crossing the bathroom pulling away blood-stained clothes as I went, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. White skin smeared with red. I washed the blood from my hands, scrubbing long after the crimson was gone. I stared at myself for a moment, at my eyes, burgundy only rimmed in gold. Disgust washed over me, powerful and unrelenting. The flush of my skin reminded me of that woman losing hers. She was pale and lifeless so I could continue to be a drain on society— literally.

I stepped under the icy waterfall, head hung, and watched the water stream red then clear again. I flipped the knob, turning the heat up. The warmth did strange things to my cold body. Loosening, and breaking down the tension that's always there, that keeps me in control of my emotions. I turned, lifting my face to the cleansing waters. Pressing my hands against the dark stone of the wall, and hanging my head, I broke down. Wracking sobs, that came from somewhere long shut away. For the lives I'd taken, for the lives I'd allowed to be taken. For the family I'd lost, for the little girl who was as good as lost at my mercy.

I just waited in the steam. Letting the water wet my hair, and run down between my shoulder blades. Like a river branching into streams the water ran down my shoulders, and back. Winding through the deep cut lines of my stone-like muscles. It carried away the tension with it, leaving only guilt in its wake.

I couldn't go to her now. My red eyes would not exactly instill trust in her. I'd seen the horror. She was terrified of me, and rightly so. I am a savage, an animal, a demon bound to terrorize this world. How could I possibly protect her? How could I possibly be her guardian? Why had I promised? I knew this would be impossible for me. I knew my deep weakness, and yet I had agreed.

Why?

Shutting off the water and slamming the shower door, I didn't bother drying off. I pulled on a pair of boxers and went downstairs… to the liquor cabinet. I couldn't be alone with myself, not for the next— however long it would take for all of their blood to leave my system. A week… maybe two. The full whiskey decanter beckoned me. I took a long drink from the bottle, relishing the searing burn as it flooded down, and coursed warmth through me like electricity. Johnny Walker… Black. Descent stuff. I reached for one of the rarely used crystal glasses and filled it to the brim.

Why had I agreed to stay? Why?

*

*

*

_AlicePOV_

The flurry of images overwhelmed me again, pulling me forward with unrelenting haste. I gasped as I was tossed from scene to scene.

Shuddering as the blackness spit me back out, I felt like I'd been hurtled backwards through a long dark tunnel and back into the leather bucket seat of the jet. Edward's hand was at my arm, his fingers loose, but his touch comforting. His weary eyes met mine.

"Another one? Is she ok?" He looked like he wanted to be anxious, but he couldn't seem to muster it up.

I shrugged. "I can't shake it. You know how I usually _purposely_ seek out my visions? Well, they're seeking me out now. I have no control over them. They overwhelm me like a dream I can't wake up from."

He looked puzzled and concerned for a moment, then asked the question I could see in his eyes. "Anything new?"

"They keep changing. Always shifting. Outcomes differ, and courses altogether change. This last one was so intense, so real." I brought my hand to my forehead, as if I could rub away the stress. I pressed my palms against both sides of my face.

"May I?" He asked—as he always did before delving into my mind—leaning closer his black eyes glowing with interest.

_Don't repeat any of it out loud._

His brow furrowed, but he nodded.

I replayed one sequence in my mind— one of the many I'd seen shift and change in the last day— since Jasper had agreed to stay.

The desert air was dry and warm. The night was lit only by the bright glow of a round harvest moon. Her hair blew in the wind, her face free of the binding helmet stuck between her knees. Excitement danced in her chocolate brown eyes— and his. Jasper shifted to rest his chin on her shoulder, his face serene— as if he were completely at home with her. His arms encircled her and held her small body tightly against him.

"Easy there," he whispered lips grazing the shell of her ear. Goose bumps shot across her exposed skin. Her tank top was white, and her shorts were made of no more fabric than necessary.

She shot him a devilish look and pressed the gas a little harder.

He pulled the hair back from her neck and it faded as he leaned in.

I began the next one before Edward had time to comment on the last.

Bella lay on the floor of the desert— sand swirling in small twisters around her. Her eyes were round with fear. A rifle gleamed in the moonlight next to her. She tried to sit up but sunk back to the sand with a pained gasp. She pressed herself to a seated position after a moment and reached quickly for the gun. Her eyes never meeting those fixed on her.

A pair of burgundy eyes glowed in the darkness. He was racing towards her and she didn't look up.

"BELLA!" Someone shouted from a distance.

Her eyes flickered up. She scrunched her eyes closed and fired as he lunged for her.

Then fog encroached on the scene.

I sighed— weighing if I should show him any more.

I cut my eyes over to him. His were tightly closed— his face was contorted as if this were physically paining him. And when he opened them— the anger burning in his eyes was frightening.

"He's… He's…" he huffed, nostrils flaring.

"Edward— none of this has happened. The future is shifting making room for the possible outcomes. And apparently that is one version." I tried to soothe him with assurance I did not feel.

He looked back at me, calming a little, "I'm not used to the sensory. It's like you— we were there. The wind, the dry air, the dust." I could only nod. Was it because I was so attached to the subjects of the visions that they were becoming so intense?

I felt the air leave my lungs and I plunged involuntarily forward through the dark tunnel, leaving Edward behind in his seat and landing on my feet in a plush hotel room.

I saw another woman's legs wrapped around my husband and tried to shut my mind to the sights and sounds. I heard her crying his name over and over as she reached the edge he was pushing her towards. I saw her blonde head thrown back in ecstasy, but thankfully shut out the rest.

The now-familiar fog breached the scene just in time.

I was jerked again from the middle and hurtled back to my seat— exhausted and deeply hurt. Not that I expected him to never be with another woman… but actually having to see, having to _be there._ It was more than I could bear. I pressed my face into my hands, wishing I could erase that image from my mind.

"What are you freaks doing?" We both glared at Emmett as he leaned forward in his seat, looking between me and Edward. I could imagine what the pair of us looked like. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something," I was in no mood for Emmett at the moment.

"Umm I'm being chased by wild visions of my husband and his girlfriend…" I said brusquely to end Emmett's questioning and jerked my thumb over to indicate Edward. Then sighed, "…among other women,"

"Damn! I didn't know Jasper had that in him..." Rose immediately smacked the back of his head, hard, interrupting his awed exclamation. He looked sheepish then added, "Uh, but that sucks. I'm sorry, Alice," He chuckled nervously then looked very serious. A look that I rarely saw grace Emmett's good-natured features.

Edward turned his haunted eyes back to me, as Emmett shifted back into his seat.

"What else?"

"You sure you want to see all of this? Some of them— most of them… don't end well." I hesitated.

"_Let_ _me_ _see_."

*

*

*

_EsmePOV_

I studied his expression. Tight even as he tried to rest. The window was open behind his profile casting the glow of morning across his skin. As strange as it sounds, the subtle sparkle of his skin still mesmerized me. I watched the light deflect and throw faint colors across the tan bucket seat in front of us. For a moment, I pretended we were home again and the sun was dancing across the white sheets of our bed, finding us safe and secure and all under one roof.

I didn't notice he'd opened his eyes, my mind was miles behind us. "You have to stop worrying," he said as he gently touched my cheek with the backs of his fingers.

I felt the sheepish smile on my face. I'd promised I wouldn't worry. I'd sworn up and down that all I wanted was to be at his side, but I couldn't help myself.

"I know. But I can't stop thinking about poor Jasper." My hand shot to my mouth. I hadn't meant to say his name aloud. I cut my eyes across the aisle to make sure Alice wasn't paying attention. She was pressing her fingers to her temples, trying to see what was coming, no doubt. I didn't want to make this any harder for her than it already was. Edward's hand grasped her wrist. They at least were a comfort to each other.

I continued at Carlisle's hand on mine, silently encouraging me to voice my fears. "He's always so hard on himself. I don't know what he's going to do on his own… He needs Alice. And what if they don't kill us… I mean, you said yourself it wasn't inevitable, just probable. What will happen then?"

"They've always been good for each other. It's true. But I have faith in the boy. He's resilient and strong. And I don't know what Aro has planned, or the rest of the Order for that matter, I've told you everything I do know," He squeezed my hand to punctuate the sentence. Then went back to Jasper, "Honestly, I was very surprised he let us go. I think had Edward not been the one asking, he would have never agreed." Edward and Carlisle exchanged a look from across the aisle.

"I thought maybe you influenced him a bit." I hesitated, as he shook his head. "Well, I know you don't like to use your ability, but honey, don't you think it would be very useful in _this _ particular situation. I mean, you can influence people's will. Aro should be no different…" I trailed off, sure that if this were an option, he would have already told me about it.

"My dear, Aro is very experienced, while I may be able to influence the weak-minded, I cannot change even a whim in Aro's mind, nor anyone else so strong. Remember, I tried on Edward and Jasper once, they wanted to see if it would work, and it didn't. They're too strong willed, as is Aro, and many others." He tented his fingers in front of him as he finished, and pressed them to his lips.

"This will work out. However it is supposed to." He smiled reassuringly. I tried to mirror it, but his softened expression told me I hadn't succeeded.

"I hope you're right." I finished, as he clutched my hand in his own, stroking it softly.

A soft 'ding' echoed in the small jet.

"This is your captain speaking. We will be landing in approximately 15 minutes. It's a fair 74 degrees and a beautiful day in Rome."

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Comments motivate me. Leave some love. Next chapter should be up soon. _Very _soon depending on the response.


	7. Trust Me

I don't own Twilight or any otherwise copyrighted material.

I am sorry that I have been very sporadic with posting. I am busy, and just have the shell of the story— an outline and then the most fun parts already written, so I write when I can! I've had a break so I will post a few closer together. I'm sorry you had to wait forever for the previous chapter. Thanks for the feedback you guys are great. So, here we go. Things are taking off. Some things I would wager you wouldn't expect start out in this chapter. Lots of twists and curves and a few sub plots. Keeps things interesting I think. Oh, and an interesting Bella/Jasper scene, if I do say so myself. I love strong Bella.

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—

_I found a friend or should I say foe?_

_Said there's a few things you should know_

_We don't want you to see_

_We come and we go_

_Here today, gone tomorrow…_

_Take it from me_

_We don't give sympathy_

_You can trust me_

_Trust nobody_

_But I said you and me_

_We don't have honesty_

_The things we don't want to speak_

_I'll try to get out… _

_It's how it's always been_

_When you're older you will understand…_

_And again, maybe you won't_

—

_-_

_AlicePOV_

The airport was hot, suffocating. People seemed to buzz past from all directions. The room teetered back and forth, like the pitch of a ship. My chest felt oddly pressured, like the whole place was pushing in on me. I almost felt like I should gasp for breath, but even as I did, it did no good. I pressed my fingers to my temples, wishing the pressure would stop. It kept building and building and I was sure my head would soon burst.

"You ok?" Rose asked, stopping next to me amidst the crowd of people. The other's hesitated, looking concerned, when they realized we'd stopped. My head seemed to stretch like it would split in two. It had progressively gotten worse as we'd flown.

"_Not really," _I managed through tight lips. I closed my eyes again, covering my face with my hands. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. But tried to keep walking. Rose wrapped her arm around my shoulders, practically pulling me along.

"What is it? Are you afraid? Or is it _him_?" she asked referring to Jasper. "Sorry about Emmett, he doesn't know what he's saying half the time…" She pushed us through the crowd with more force than necessary, and motioned for the others to go on ahead.

"Movimento!" she spat at a man pausing to talk on his phone and blocking the moving sidewalk.

"Yes I miss him, terribly. Not telling him everything— exactly what's going on is killing me and I'm—" I stopped as the bolt of searing pain cut through me again then lessened, "—afraid for him, but it doesn't really have to do with that. I feel very strange. Like…"I paused thinking of how I could explain. " Like I'm being turned inside out, like I'm being torn in the wrong direction. I've seen possible outcomes, though nothing concrete, but this… this has to do with something else. I don't know…" I trailed off, feeling like I was rambling and not really able to put words to my strange emotions.

"You do know," she stated flatly, looking at me pointedly. She always had a way of understanding things about me that I couldn't even understand. That was her way, she was always direct and to the point, which I could appreciate in _other_ situations.

"Well… I feel like there's something going on. Something bigger. I can't explain it. I feel like I'm missing something horribly important. Something I should already know," Again the searing pain cut through me like a hot knife. I might have fallen except for Rosalie's strong arms around me.

She stared down at me, worried. Then as I nodded for her to continue she said, "It's ok. No one expects you to be infallible. Would you know what I meant if I said you were only human?" a ghost of a smile pulled at her lips, but looked foreign there. She was worried. If Rose was worried, things were bad.

"I wish I…"I started but didn't finish.

The pain peaked in a side-splitting wave and then It felt like the cable whipped me from the inside of my stomach, and I was being zip-lined backward by it through a dark endless tunnel. The tunnel seemed to shrink and push in on me as I went. My eyes felt like they were being bored into the back of my skull. My ears roared until the darkness dropped me flat on my back onto something soft and squishy. The suffocating feeling abated, and my lungs expanded to breath the new air. A soft hint of a familiar scent— like caramel tickled my nose.

I felt groggy. I opened my eyes to her furrowed face. The collective image of the painting overhead reminded me of one of Michaelangelo's, but then I couldn't recall who he actually was. The woman stared down at me, with a penetrating glare. I studied the detailed painting on the high domed ceiling above me. It was so strangely familiar, though I was sure I had never seen it before. A woman— a timeless, angelic woman, dressed all in white stood in the center of a crowd, holding above her head a gleaming sword with an inscription on the golden blade. I read the fine script easily.

_Terminus Immortalis. _

I didn't get to study the rest of the elaborate painting before I was interrupted.

"How are you feeling?" I sat bolt upright, my grogginess fading from surprise.

I vaguely recognized his one-sided smile. A familiar man was perched at the foot of the bed. His hair was blonde, and hung to his shoulders straight and silky. His skin glowed in the morning light, making him look like I imagined an angel would look. In fact, everything about his ethereal perfection pointed to that assumption— except his eyes. They burned a deep burgundy. Not angelic— but rather demonic. Could it be? Could this be who I thought it was? Beautiful and evil. I had been warned about him, by whom I wasn't sure.

"Are you Lucifer?" I jumped at the sound of my own voice. Something about it wasn't right.

He chuckled, "No, no. I'm not here to harm you. Are you feeling better?"

"Fine." As I thought about it, I felt better than fine. I'd never felt this good before. No ache, no strain, no pain. He smiled as he watched me flex, and stretch. Adjusting to the fluid glide of my joints, and effortless contraction of my muscles.

"Are you hungry?"

I thought about that for a moment. "No." I answered pushing back the covers, and settling on the end of the bed beside him. He watched me with curiosity twinkling in his eyes.

"You're quite beautiful. Would you like to see?" I stared at him. Unsure of what he meant.

He rose. I stared as he moved— lithe and graceful even for the large man he was. He watched me as he rolled a floor length mirror framed in gleaming gold, and set with large ruby stones, that glittered brightly in the morning light. As he turned it toward me, I felt the slight gasp catch in my throat. I jumped from my perch on the large bed, racing to the looking glass. I looked down at my hands to see if it was really me I was seeing reflected. My skin was pale white, like I was made of precious porcelain but I sparkled like diamonds in the streaming morning light. There were no lines in my skin. It was perfectly smooth, even at my joints. I looked back to the mirror, running my hands in awe over the smooth, symmetrical planes of my face. My skin was poreless, flawless. Even in my wonder, I didn't recognize myself. I felt like I was someone else. It was horribly confusing. I gasped again as I realized my eyes glowed the same deep burgundy as his.

"Am I dead?" I didn't feel dead, but I wasn't myself any longer. I pressed two fingers to the pulse at my neck, my eyes wide.

"No. No not really." He still smiled calmly down at me, even in my panic.

"Not really? What do you mean?" He was so calm in this horribly strange moment. What had happened to me?

He chuckled at my fear. "You're okay. I promise."

I was overwhelmed. All of this—

"Do you remember what happened? Where we've come from?" he asked as if the world hinged on my answer, his brow wrinkled in concern.

I thought for a moment. I didn't know my name. I didn't know…anything.

"No… What happened? What's my name?" I questioned, frantic once again.

He sat again, looking out the window and rubbing his bottom lip with his index finger as he thought.

"You're very familiar. Did I know you?" I kept my hand pressed to the looking glass, as I quizzed him.

"I've rescued you from a very dark place. They hated what you are, and I've brought you somewhere you will be treasured."

I felt my eyes widen, and my brows raise. It was too much to process. I needed simple truths.

"What's my name?"

He looked at my reflection in the mirror rather than me.

"We'll see." That was strange. He didn't know my name either?

"What's your name?" I asked, wide-eyed, as he rose quickly. I needed some answers. I needed something to cling to.

"Follow me." He held out his hand, beckoning me to him. His eyes were honest even if they were red.

I stepped toward him across the plush red carpet. Every movement I made required no effort. It felt like I was floating in space. My body weighed nothing, and movement was effortless. I clutched his outstretched hand. He smiled again and led me from the room. I noticed as I followed him down the dark arched hallway that my clothes had been changed— from what I didn't know. But somehow I knew this wasn't mine. I was wearing a cream colored nightgown—floor length and gauzy. With each step it billowed in small circles about my feet. His shoes clacked against the dark stone floor, echoing in the empty expanse. He would pause and look at me intermittently, the sly smile always present on his strangely familiar face. We would reach ceiling-high doors carved with intricate patterns, and pass through rooms, each more opulent than the last. Chandeliers and plush carpets but never another person. We continued still further, through a set of ornate golden doors into another room, a personal room, more magnificent than the others.

As we entered the dark chamber, a searing scent hit my nose. I jumped back, pressing my back into the closed door. I pulled back from him, to clap both my hands over my nose and mouth. As I saw the woman lying dead on the floor, I sealed my eyes shut. I didn't want to see. Panic flooded me, and I felt trapped. Like a caged animal, I wanted to run.

"You said you would be done." My fallen angel was angry.

"I thought she would be hungry, too." He purred. I didn't like his voice. It was grating in its silkiness. And what did he mean?

"She's not." I felt his hands on me, at my shoulders then my face, and heard his voice soothing. "It's ok. Open your eyes."

I did reluctantly to meet only his deep burgundy eyes. They were kind; they were reassuring.

"My dear, we've been waiting for you. You are a rare and precious gift." The other man stated, stepping up and resting a hand on his shoulder. His strange voice deeper, and smoother. The other was shorter, older, but had the same intense maroon eyes, the same graceful movement and the same otherworldly appearance.

"My name is Aro, child and…."

The fog encroached on my vision. I fought, feeling as if everything hung on what he would say next, but I couldn't win. Again that strange painful tug at my stomach. It jerked me forward, leaving the carpeted room behind and hurtling through oblivion. The next moment I was kneeling on the white tiles of the airport. Everyone standing and kneeling around me.

"What happened? What did you see? Was it Bella?" Edward quizzed.

"_I. Have. No. Clue._" I managed through the splitting headache that returned.

Rosalie silenced the questions of the group with one snap of her tongue, and Emmett scooped me up in his arms and carried me through the airport. I felt something like a football must feel under a running back's arm.

*

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_BellaPOV_

The phone rang for the fiftieth time this week. Charlie was threatening to change our number. He would answer, no one would say anything, and he would question them, but never get a response.

"HELLO!" Charlie shouted into the phone. Then looked confused and pressed the receiver down again.

"Huh," he mused, "must have already hung up."

He winked at me and headed back into the kitchen.

Renee giggled again over something Charlie said. The two were making dinner.

I shifted uncomfortably, where they'd propped me up on the couch and made me promise not to move while they made dinner. I was nervous enough with Renee in the kitchen, but the pair of them, I was prepared for a disaster.

The past few days I'd seen a very different version of my mother, maybe more like who she had been when she had been my age.

Someone knocked on the door. I jumped, startled, and the kitchen was silenced until the knock sounded again. I twisted painfully around to see who it was as Charlie went to the door.

"Hey Chief Swan. We've been trying to call, but the storm got some of the phone lines down. We need you at the office." Tyler came in shaking rain from his hat and temporarily discarding his dripping coat.

It was Tyler Crowley from high school. He'd become a policeman, right after we'd graduated.

"Alright— one second." Charlie said running back to his room to change clothes.

"Hey Bella, how are you doing?" He'd always been a nice guy, a little full of himself, but always nice. Rain drops pooled at his feet on the rough floorboards.

"I'm healing." I smiled at him. "The wreck was pretty ridiculous. But it is nice to have some time away from school and work,"

He chuckled, a concerned look crossing his face, "Yeah I bet. I saw that poor piece of steel you destroyed. I was at the scene, but I'd wager you don't remember." He wagged his finger in the air, "Actually you were passed out by the time I got there."

I laughed awkwardly, " Yeah, I don't remember much between getting pulled out of the truck and the hospital."

"Right, right. The Cullen kid pulled you out, right? He was the one holding you when I got there." I didn't remember that… Jasper had been holding me? "I'm pretty sure he's even the one who rode in the back of the ambulance with you to the hospital." What? How did I not know that?

I stared at the floor for a second, then realized he was waiting for me to respond to something, "Oh…right. So… what's taking Charlie away tonight?" I needed to change the subject. I had thought it was strange, obviously, that Jasper had been the one to pull me out, and even that he'd stayed at the hospital, but all those other details.. I didn't know what to do with them.

"Well, I don't know that I'm really supposed to talk about it like this…" he shifted closer seating himself on the edge of the chair opposite me. "There has been a huge rise in the amount of murders in the state. We're talking hundreds. Not in one event— individual killings. I'd say it's an organized group, they're really good," He looked so intrigued by the heinous crimes. His eyes brightening as he spoke.

"Really…" I quirked an eyebrow.

"The state has declared a state of emergency so, the local law enforcement leaders have to talk with Governor Gregoire— ya know, talk about how to contain, keep citizens on alert and how we're supposed to support the national guard." His eyes lit in excitement.

"Oh… right." I'd heard briefly on the news about the Razor Murders. It had sounded an awful like the work of a certain seemingly fictional creature I happened to know by name.

He reached over to touch my uncasted arm gently, "Hey, don't be scared. It'll be fine. We're getting it all under control." He puffed up his chest a little as if he were going to do it single-handedly.

He sensed my discomfort and changed the subject, "So I talked to Mike the other day. He always asks about you, you know. He was really upset, said his mom told him about the wreck but didn't know how you were,"

"Oh…" Mike was still asking about me? "That's nice of him to be concerned. He still at UCLA?"

"Yeah, yeah he is." Tyler shuffled his foot across the floor as awkward silence ensued.

"So, what's up Tyler. What do we have?" Charlie asked as he made his way from the bedroom in uniform. He fastened his gun belt, and headed out the door into the stormy night with a wave.

My mom came in after a few minutes with a plate of spaghetti, and a furrowed brow.

"Did you make this?" I had to ask. Nothing she'd ever made had been edible.

"No, Bella. I did not. It was mostly Charlie." She rolled her eyes at me in mock-irritation.

We sat in silence for a moment, and then that off expression I'd noticed first at the hospital but even more since I'd been home settled across her features. Like something was going on and I didn't know about it. Her mouth was tight, her eyes strained with sadness.

"What's wrong?" I asked in response to her expression, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, nothing." She was a terrible liar. Always had been. Maybe that's where I got it.

"Nothing, huh? I know you well enough to know that look means something." She cut her eyes up at me, and leaned back in Charlie's favorite blue recliner. Her eyes closed for a second.

She sighed, "Oh, Bella. You can read me too well." She rocked in the chair. It's soft creaking echoing above the soft patter of the rain.

"Where do you think I got it?" I laughed circling my face in the air with one finger, "I inherited this open book,"

She stared down at her spaghetti, ignoring my joke. She picked at the worn threads on the armrest.

I paused a moment, listening to the rain pick up, "Are you going to tell me?" I took a bite of my garlic bread.

"Well…" she hedged. This was really something big, something she didn't want me to know. But what?

This was like pulling teeth, I would have to make her tell me, "Well what? You used to tell me everything. Even things I really didn't want to know." I laughed recalling a few choice conversations from the time Phil and my mom had started dating.

She sighed again, preparing herself for what she was about to say. She looked at me, with tears welling in her dark eyes.

"Ok, well… Phil left me." Her voice was so small. I'd never thought my mom looked more like a child than she did in that moment. Helpless, and hurt.

I choked mid-chew nearly spewing noodles across the room, "WHAT?! Mom! How could you not tell me that?"

She wrung her napkin in her hands, distraught, "I just didn't want to talk about it. Or upset you. I know you loved Phil." She looked up, an apology in her eyes. Like she was blaming herself for this.

"But you told Charlie?" I guessed, remembering how he'd come to her aid at the hospital.

She frowned at me, clearly annoyed, "I— well yes. How did you know? Did he already tell you?"

"No, but the way he jumped in every time that I brought up Phil was a pretty good indicatation." Chuckling I took another bite of spaghetti, so I would have a minute to think of the right thing to say.

"You're too observant, Bella." She chided, twisting her fork in her noodles.

I didn't know if pressing this was a good idea or not, but I needed some details, "So, he just left?"

"Basically. He met a stewardess on one of his flights. She's 've actually been seeing each other for awhile," What an ass! If I weren't a gimp I'd drive down to Arizona and make sure he never played baseball— or did _anything _else recreational again. Even with his stewardess.

I tried to reign in my anger, for my mom's sake. "Mom, I'm sorry. That really sucks." I watched her eyes flicker to my hand where I was holding my fork like a weapon in death grip.

"It does, totally suck." She brushed at tears with her wadded up napkin. Turning her head away from me so I wouldn't see her cry, she stared out at the weeping sky.

The drum of the rain that had once irritated me, was now a soothing comfort. Lightning flashed, filling the room with harsh light for a split-second. "Charlie seems to be glad to have you around again." I tried to cheer her up. I knew what another man's attention could do when you'd been left behind. It was soothing, comforting, but definitely not the cure. New love is the cure. Love— _real_ love heals.

She looked back at me, smiling again, "Yeah, and strangely I'm enjoying being around. I don't have that intense hatred for Forks that I used to have." The smile brought such light to her eyes.

"I can tell." Something was bothering me though. I had to make sure. "Well, Mom, can you promise me something?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion, "Anything darling. What is it?"

"Promise you're not just using Charlie because you feel insecure. He loves you. He's always loved you, and I can't stand the idea of you destroying him…again." I had seen first-hand what could happen… to both parties. A stab of guilt tugged at my heart, but I pushed it away to deal with later.

"Bella—I—" she stammered, taken aback at my request.

"I know. Just make sure you evaluate your motives. Don't use him." Charlie loved her. Always had, and the thought of that being thrown back in his face hurt me more than I realized.

"I won't." She promised, smiling again.

She twirled her spaghetti on the fork. Then chewed thoughtfully. Her eyes snapped back to mine after a long moment.

"Why aren't you eating?" she noted I had only taken a bite or two and was presently occupied with counting the time between the thunder and lightening.

"Oh, I'm just not very hungry. Sorry. I have a lot on my mind." I pushed a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"Spill." She demanded.

"What?" I felt my eyes round innocently.

"Come on. I told you mine." She knew me too well. We were a bookends.

I laughed, shoving a fork full of the unappetizing red noodles into my mouth. Averting my eyes, I tried to chew.

She smiled knowingly as she watched me swallow, "How well did you know that boy who saved you? Well… I'd hardly call him a boy. Goodness Bella, how old was he?"

"Uh…" I tried to remember how old he'd been pretending to be when they left. 18? Right so he'd be… twenty-one now? "Twenty-one," I said after a moment.

"He is very handsome, Bella. And only a year older than you." The grin stretching across her face was irritating.

I shrugged, swallowing the mouthful with a grimace.

"I hadn't noticed." I said truthfully, setting my plate on the coffee table cluttered with remotes and fishing magazines.

She kept grinning watching the disinterested expression shift to discomfort, "_Like_ _hell_. How do you not notice someone who looks like him? I mean, he was basically your knight in shining armor—he just needs the white steed." She snickered into her napkin.

"Because he's Edward's brother mom. That's how." She stopped short almost choking on her own spit. She hadn't known. How could she? Hale, Cullen. She looked a little confused, trying to sort it all out, and making strange diagrams in the air with her finger. The family-tree didn't line up.

I sighed, wishing I didn't need to talk about them. I easily recalled the strange story of adoption, "Jasper and Rosalie Hale are twins. The Cullens adopted the two of them, but they kept their name. So, Jasper was with my friend Alice, Edward's sister— remember me telling you about her? So— yeah, Edward and Jasper are not really related, but basically. They're close." I finished, not liking the turn of the conversation. I really didn't want to talk about them. It was like reopening an old festering wound.

My mom still looked confused. "It sounds like a weird soap opera. She's related to him but dating this guys brother, who's twins with the other girl. But they all have the same adoptive parents… How complicated!" she laughed.

_She had no idea._

She took the hint that my mood had turned foul, and I no longer wanted to chat, "Well, Charlie will be back sometime soon and I'm very tired. I'm going to go to my hotel. I'll see you in the morning? Breakfast?"

"Sounds good, mom. Love you." I kissed her on the cheek as she leaned to hug me goodbye. It was good having her around.

"Love you, too. Hey, Bella?" she asked from the door.

"Yeah, mom?"

"You should let yourself move on. You're ready." She smiled sweetly as she opened the door, and hurried out into the rain.

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_JasperPOV_

I flipped on the radio as I passed it in the hallway. The local news buzzed with white noise and a man's deep voice broke through the static.

"Rain today. High of 63."

I went to the kitchen and pulled a white bottle from the warmer in the island. _Feline A. _Yeah, yeah. It's weird to keep animal blood in bottles in a warmer in your house, but it comes in handy when you need a quick reaffirmation of will not to kill. So, I was going to see Bella today. My eyes were a different shade of gold but— no longer maroon. I think maybe the whiskey binge helped flush the human blood out of my system.

I picked up my small black phone from the counter and checked to see if anyone had called me back. Yeah, I'd called Alice repeatedly only to get no answer. I never have understood why drinking equals drunk dialing. But I guess it was a good thing she didn't answer. Talking to her, would only make it harder, for us both.

I stopped cold as the man's voice reached my ears from upstairs.

"… And the mysterious killing of what police are calling the _Razor Murders_ is continuing. Another twenty-two people were found dead last night. Several were found in cars or behind buildings while some were in their homes in bed. Each of them women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. What is also disturbing about the homicides is that the victims are neatly sliced open. The skin has a small half circle slit seemingly made with a razor at a major artery— sometimes radial but more often carotid, or femoral. And they have been drained of all blood. There are no traces of human blood at the scenes of the crimes, and there is never any other evidence. No fingerprints, nothing that can be matched to DNA. The terrifying mystery continues. We'll have more at eight."

I knew from experience, personal experience, that mass individual human murders that were neat and clean were a very bad sign. Were they in Seattle? The man didn't say where they were taking place. I set the bottle on the counter and rocketed up the stairs to my laptop. I did a quick search.

"_Razor murders"_

The state news page came up first.

_Governor Gregoire declared a state of emergency for the state of Washington this week. The National Guard will be entering the state to help put an end to the massive number of homicides that has significantly risen in the last few days, and to give the people of the great state of Washington the peace of mind and safety they deserve. The death count is currently at 226. _

So, it's statewide. I searched for a map of the occurrences to see whether they were concentrated in specific areas or could denote a pattern of movement.

Definitely a pattern. Starting in Vancouver— not skipping over even the smallest of towns and heading straight up Interstate 5 to Olympia, where they persisted the past few days. And this had been going on for a a little over a week. The government and law enforcement just didn't allow the press in on it until the past couple days.

I should have been paying closer attention— but I'd basically fallen off the face of the earth the past week.

If my time at the bottom had done anything— it had solidified my goal. As my head cleared I knew what I had to do. No one— no one would hurt Bella. Something about keeping her alive, protecting her no matter how painful or difficult it might be made me feel like I still had a chance at redemption.

_BellaPOV_

Clutching the old portable phone in my hand, waiting impatiently for it to ring, I sat on the couch. My hair was dripping down my face, chills were inching across my skin. I tried not to think about my conversation with my mom, but it kept intruding on my thoughts, kept taking over.

"You should let yourself move on. You're ready." Her voice echoed in my mind. _You're ready. _

It didn't seem like one short week ago that I'd been racing down the highway, hope fluttering in my chest at the thought of Edward being back in Forks. I had felt the waves of devastation once again when the doctor had said they were gone, but then as I sat on the couch, squeaking as I shifted my weight, I considered whether I really wanted him back again. If I was being honest with myself, I could be fairly certain it had more to do with rejection than yearning for the lost love. As real as that love had once been to me, I realized how it had faded. There were only traces of the person I had been then. The naive child who clung to the fleeting romance. But reality had set in, and surprisingly, I was better at facing it than I had once thought.

The moments ticked by endlessly as I sat in uneasy anticipation.

I got up and paced the floor in some of Jacob's stolen track sweats and a Forks PD t-shirt. I'd let my hair air dry after my shower so it was curling in some places and just altogether poofy. Charlie had called and said he'd be home in an hour— that was three hours ago. One hour before the power went out. I clutched the cold barrel of the mag-light, twisting my hands around it nervously. My finger smarted from where I'd accidently stabbed myself with scissors while groping in the dark for the flashlight. I glanced at the old ticking clock again. I couldn't even get a hold of Renee.

I jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. My heart raced against my ribs. I glanced out the front window to see only the outline of what looked to be a motorcycle. Who would ride a motorcycle in this deluge? Someone crazy.

I contemplated not opening the door, then worried it had to do with one of my parents. I turned on the flashlight and threw open the door.

He turned towards me quickly, "Bella," He was standing on my front porch— soaked to the bone. His hair hung down in his eyes, and dripped droplets down his already slick skin. His eyes were a strange hue and wild with some excitement. They were golden but something about them was amiss, maybe it was the intensity behind them. I shuddered remembering how endless they'd seemed at the hospital. Certainty that there were plenty of things I didn't want to know hidden in their depths moved me away from analyzing them.

"Bella," he repeated. I stared at him, raising my eyebrows, indicating he could continue right where he was. He wasn't going to catch a cold. He couldn't even _feel_ the cold.

Ok, a little harsh, Bella.

There was something very strange about him. I couldn't put my finger right on what was irking me, setting me on edge, other than what I had guessed about him.

He leaned on the door frame, causing me to step back in response, "May I come in?" his politeness grated my already taut nerves.

I cut my eyes away from him, "Uh, Charlie's not here..."

"I just need to talk with you for a minute." He was getting frustrated, his voice edgy, "It would probably be best if others weren't in earshot." I stared at him, trying to decide if this was a horrible idea or not. I mean, just a few years ago he would have ripped my jugular out had someone else not been there to intercede. There was no one here to intercede.

"Please, just hear me out," he pleaded, and I wasn't entirely sure he wasn't doing some underhanded convincing. The pleading in his frightening eyes seemed to do the trick.

I stepped out of the way, my braced arm pulled defensively against my chest, stroking the old bumpy scar evident just above the black casing.

"You look better. Healing… quickly," He looked closely at the cuts on my face then at my arm with a peculiar look on his face, "How do you feel?" he asked as we paused in the entryway.

I held back the urge to roll my eyes. I had stitches in my face, and looked like I'd been knocked around like a punching bag. Right, I looked better than the train wreck— well truck wreck— he'd seen last time. "Why are you here?"

"Alright…" He pushed his hand through his drenched hair sending a fresh fall of droplets down his neck. It stayed pushed back. "Have you seen the news?" He continued, his eyes searching mine. I shifted uneasily. The subject had been plaguing me since I'd heard.

"Charlie is a cop. I know what's going on." I hedged not wanting to discuss this with him… when we were alone, in the dark, of all times. What would he do when he found out I knew about him? I shuddered and stepped back from him, wishing I hadn't let him in.

"Alright, well then I assume you've guessed that it's vampires." His eyes bored into mine, making me even more uncomfortable. I rocked between my feet, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"I thought it might be," I stepped back from him again, straining, hoping for the rumble of Charlie's cruiser. The news had upset me. I knew what it was the minute I heard.

"Can we sit?" He motioned, watching my face. I felt a little dizzy. I still didn't feel like myself, which I would never have admitted out loud, and he was overwhelming. Everything about him. Just his presence alone made me feel claustrophobic. That oppressive feeling of not being able to breathe that overcomes me in elevators was hedging me in now.

I walked into the living room, trying not to clutch my aching ribs.

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked. I didn't like it. He was completely unnerving. I felt like he could see straight through me to everything I was thinking and feeling. Well, I guess half of that _was _actually true.

"What?" his tone was gruff, and his eyes hard as they stared into mine. I guessed he knew then. He knew I suspected him already. Might as well quench my curiosity.

"Fine." I clipped, "Where have you been?"

"What?" He asked innocently, his strange eyes rounded.

Don't _what_ me.

"I mean… you show up out of no where…" I sank to the couch, wincing involuntarily, "Pull me out of a burning truck. Say a bunch of cryptic shit at the hospital and then disappear as a series of vampire murders commence. Two people disappeared right outside Forks. _Where have you been_?" He stood in front of me, his eyes glued to mine, shifting his weight back and forth. For a split second some variant of sadness shaded his hard features but then just as quickly anger flashed across them.

His voice turned icy, "Taking care of some things. I didn't realize I needed to _report_ in to you." I shivered, unsure of the cause. Maybe his cool glare? Maybe the biting wind he'd brought in with him. I glared up at him. Damn him and his sarcasm. This was serious.

"So it was just coincidental timing?" I pressed, suddenly wishing I hadn't. He could definitely be frightening. But I knew it was him. He'd killed those people. Maybe not all of them, but at least the ones in Forks. Maybe that's why the Cullens left. They didn't want to be associated with him.

"You're in danger, Bella." I knew that. I was sitting in a room alone with a murderer.

He looked at me like he knew what I was thinking, "_Not from me_. This is a large group. They're skilled. They've traveled up from the border and are around Olympia right now. Either they're going to break off their warpath and come towards Forks or they're going to head up to Seattle. We'll know if they're directly after you based on which path they take…"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Pump the breaks. Why would they be after me _specifically_? There's no reason…" Where'd he get that? Who would be after _me? _Silly little me. A measly human girl who was of no consequence to anyone—to anyone.

He looked amused as he interrupted me, though I couldn't fathom why, "There _is_ a reason. More than one actually, if my guess is right, and we don't really have time to stand here and debate this." He looked at me like I was a small child he was humoring. One of the few things in this world that I vehemently hate, is being patronized.

That anger added an edge to my voice "What do you mean '_we_ don't have time'… What do you think _you're_ going to do?" Who did he think he was? Storming in here, and making all kinds of wild declarations. Did he think I was going to hop on the back of that fancy motorcycle and let him drag me off to God knows where under the pretense that he was protecting me? No way in hell.

"I can't protect you from a group of 10+ experienced vampires, and I would guess some very experienced leaders." His voice was hard, edged in irritation, and… fear? I was a little shocked. Why did he even think he needed to protect me?

"I'm…" My voice cracked, I hesitated clearing it, "I'm not asking you to protect me. There's no reason for you to be here. My life— what happens to me is not your concern." I felt a tremor inch up my spine. Why would they be after me? Why would he think he needed to protect me from them— from anyone?

"Thanks for the surgeon by the way, but that was completely unnecessary." I offered changing the subject to give myself a second to get my mind around what was going on.

He jammed his fingers through his hair again and agitated he responded, "You're welcome— it was necessary— and it is necessary that you listen very carefully to what I'm about to say." He moved so quickly I almost didn't see his movement, and sat down on the couch next to me, careful not to touch me at all. I shrank back startled from his close proximity. I hated when he moved that fast. It just reminded me of how quickly he could end my life.

I stared at him, I was sure my fear was written on my face and probably perfectly evident to his extraneous sense. He spoke slowly, like he was talking to a person with a learning disability, like he questioned _my _ability to think rationally. "You are in danger. You are a target. And if you don't let me get you out of here, you will be killed, or worse—"

I cut him off, "How do you know this? You still haven't explained why they would be after me."

He sighed, exasperated, "_One reason_ is because the Cullens are in trouble. Carlisle thinks it had to do with you knowing about us. That was breaking a cardinal rule so— I don't know why such a large group would be here, putting on such a public show, but after the Cullens went to Voltera this group has appeared out of nowhere and is moving towards us."

I didn't know much of what he was talking about, but I knew enough to be stunned. The Cullens were in trouble… because of me? I felt the air fly out of my lungs with a soft whoosh. We sat in heavy silence for a moment. I could see him staring, obviously concerned by something he was seeing.

"Why aren't you with them?" I hadn't really meant to voice the thought. It was really the last thing that mattered at the moment. But I didn't like his attention so directly focused on me.

"What?" He looked taken aback.

"Why are you here, if they're there." He looked at me hard, his jaw flexing. He rose from the couch and stood with his back to me for a second. I stared up at him, not sure what he was going to do. He turned and offered me his hand. Not at all what I was expecting. His eyes flashed in the darkness. His fingers extended, offering me something I knew better than to accept.

"I just stayed." He almost whispered it, looking down to meet my eyes. A strange and unfamiliar tenderness in them. Something I'd seen in him on only two other occasions.

He just stayed? Hadn't he almost killed me himself before? Just because he hadn't taken this one opportunity didn't mean he had changed. I hadn't known a whole lot about him before, but the fact that the Cullens had abandoned him, that meant something. I looked down at the floor, staring and trying to find some sense in this very strange scenario. His voice interrupted me, as I tried to sort through the plethora of information he'd just dumped on me.

"Are you planning on just holing up here and waiting for them to come and get you… and your family?" he asked, the annoying arrogance returning to his voice.

I felt another tremor tumble through me, but this time I knew exactly what it was. I was scared, no , terrified. I knew I should never have been introduced to this strange world they lived in. All it had brought me was pain and misery, and now— now I was going to _die_ because I knew about it? And my parents… they knew nothing of all of this, and they were going to suffer because of this horrible mistake? It seemed like a cruel game. A game I really didn't want to play anymore.

Numb disbelief came in waves, and then as they pulled away terror crashed over me, only to start the cycle again. "I really don't want to be in the middle of all of this— I don't want _them_ in the middle of this." I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep the fear from overtaking me, trying to hold onto the numbness. "I mean— isn't there some other option. Something I can say or do?"

He stared out the window as the lightening flashed and the rumble of thunder rattled the windows. Then he looked at me with an understanding that made me feel so small and weak. I laid my spinning head on the armrest.

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve to be mixed up in this, but— like it or not— you are."

I stared at my hands in my lap, wringing them nervously. How could he shift so quickly from being cold and aloof to whatever this other version of him was? I liked the aloof version better.

"So, what do I do?" I looked up into inky eyes. Just as I thought about trusting him, about taking the steady hand still waiting midair, I was reminded of who I was dealing with. I still wasn't convinced of anything except the fact that he had killed those people—at least some of them. He watched my eyes harden, and sensed the firming of my resolve. He withdrew his hand.

"_We," _he emphasized, "leave." What? He actually wanted me to leave with him? Insane! What made him think I would ever go anywhere at all with him?

"If you think I'm enough of a fool to trust you just because you didn't kill me _this_ time when you had a golden opportunity— you're deluding yourself." I snapped—the words coming out with a ferocity I wasn't prepared for. I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

"Now don't fly off the handle…" he started looking at me with an apology in his eyes that he couldn't seem to get past his lips. He had nothing to say for himself. He couldn't deny that fact, and yet, he still somehow thought I would trust him. What did that even mean? Don't fly off the handle?

I stared at him incredulously, "I think _you_ should leave now." I stood, walking towards the door, then throwing it open. I didn't want him here. If he wasn't here, I could pretend everything was going to be ok. The thunder boomed through the room, and the cold wind swept in, chilling me to the bone.

He followed me, "Bella, if you don't care what happens to you— at least think of your parents. I don't know what we're dealing with exactly, but why take the risk? Maybe you can gamble with your own life, but can you gamble with theirs?" that one cut through the tough exterior I was trying to get back into place. I felt the tears burning my eyes, and the lump catching in my throat.

"Let's pretend for one second I believe you…and could get past the fact that you're a cold-blooded killer…" I stated tersely, startling myself with the harsh cut of my tone, "What exactly do you plan on doing? Where would we go?"

He flinched, but his eyes burned, I wanted to shrink away from that ferocity, but I held my ground, "I don't have a perfect plan yet, _Bella_." He let his irritation hinge on my name, "I just need to get you out of here."

"You don't need to do anything! You know you can't just waltz into people's lives and turn everything upside down. And expect it to be ok, because it's under the pretense of protection." I shuddered, the cold rain still splattered in the door, I insisted for some reason on keeping it open. His eyes softened with amusement as I spoke, and he looked down at the ground as he shuffled a foot across the worn floorboards.

He looked back up at me through his lashes, like I had just said something he found very funny, "Well, I don't ever waltz. Because it's very embarrassing and quite frankly a little gay." He looked very amused with himself. Did he have some sort of social disorder? Was he mentally challenged in some way? God! He was making jokes and he'd just busted in my house and turned my whole world on its head.

"Get out." I motioned wildly out the door.

"Bella, seriously… You have my word." He looked determined again, the ghost of the humor not leaving any traces.

I was beyond angry now. First, he unceremoniously dumps this story he's created onto me. Then he patronizes me. And the cherry on top of all his charms— he laughed in my face. The anger welled up, consuming rational thought. As I stared into his blackened eyes, I let it take over.

"I know you, Jasper. Don't _ever_ forget that. I know about the innumerable people you've killed, I know about those scars on your arms, I know that if the Cullens left you behind, they probably had a really good reason. I know you killed those people." I stared at him, my eyes cold and emotionless despite the guilt already tugging at my heart. I ignored it and drove the stake home. "…and I know that no matter what words happen to come from your mouth, I can never trust you. _A man of your word?"_ I scoffed, raising my eyebrows in disbelief, "One fluke does not undo an entire lifetime." He looked like I'd slapped him across the face, hard, and it was still stinging. But his eyes didn't leave mine, he just stared at me. I had never in my life been able to say everything I wanted to, and granted I knew he didn't deserve all of my anger, a lot of it was directed towards people who weren't here, but he'd done a hell of a lot of provoking.

I couldn't make sense of anything with him standing there anyway. I whirled from him and paced back and forth in the hall. He was constantly emitting all kinds of signals— under the radar— I didn't quite know what it was, but I couldn't make sense of myself while he was around. Everything was a jumbled mess. He looked like he was going to yell at me, press it, or maybe throw me over his shoulder and head out into the rain, but the flash of headlights changed his mind.

"Oh thank God. Charlie…" I muttered, my hand resting on my chest in relief. Jasper looked back down at me, as if to discern what that reaction meant.

"Bella…" His eyes blazed with anger but his pained expression made me wish I hadn't just thrown all his mistakes in his face just to get him to leave.

"Just go." I finished, rubbing my hand across my eyes.

"I'll be here." He stated flatly, his voice detached, as he stepped over the threshold.

"It doesn't matter what you do." I snapped, motioning out the door for him to leave.

He ground his jaw, and his eyes smoldered with pent up emotion even in the darkness, glinting black and frightening. But without another word he headed out into the rain.

*So what are your thoughts? Last post I had 700 people read, on just the first day, and got ten comments. If you're reading, please let me know what you're thinking! Thanks!


	8. Decoy

A little quicker. Get excited, very interesting POV in this one. At least to write, but I think you'll enjoy it too. Delve into the villains mind a bit. In response to a question about the lyrics, at the beginning of the stories, I pick one that can apply to the different story lines. So it might make more sense to think of them in terms of the specific chapter, and then the specific POV. Anyway, hope you enjoy! More Bella/Jasper next time. Thanks for all the comments, and encouragement!

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Close your eyes and make believe

This is where you want to be

Forgetting all the memories,

Try to forget love cause love's forgotten me

Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late pretty soon you won't remember a thing

And I'll be distant, the stars reminiscing

Your heart's been wasted on me

You've never been so used as I'm using you, abusing you

My little decoy

Don't look so blue, you should've seen right through

I'm using you, my little decoy

My little decoy

Living life inside a dream

Time is changing everything

Forgetting all the memories

And I'm forced into you just cause you're into me

Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late

Petty soon you won't remember a thing

But I can't stay and you know I won't wait

I was gone from the very first day

—

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_JasperPOV_

"Out-of-her-mind…psychotic…" I muttered ducking out the front door and into the downpour to escape her onslaught. The water felt icy on my skin, but the cold night air reaching around my jacket for skin to chill found no warmth to drain. "…Crazy…" I waved wildly at Bella's dad through the haze of rain, and wondered briefly who the second cloaked person was. I kicked a leg easily over the black bike and kicked it into gear. "..Ungrateful-smug-little…" The tires spun across the slick pavement. My mind replayed her harsh words over and over, my anger racking up right along with the miles through town.

"Son-of-a…" The only stop light in town glowed bright red in the distance. I slowed, coming to a halt despite the deserted streets. I glared up at the pouring black sky, and cursed the fact that I'd gotten my truck towed the day I had risked my neck and sanity to rescue that arrogant self-righteous little girl. Too bad it hadn't entered my mind until today, the day was peppered with sun and showers, too uncertain for me to venture out. I couldn't go get it until the sun went down— which was around nine.

"…I know you, Jasper. Don't _ever_ forget that. I know about the innumerable people you've killed, I know about those scars on your arms, I know that if the Cullens left you behind, they probably had a really good reason. I know you killed those people…" Her biting tone echoed in my mind, raising my temper again.

You'd think, that after I almost burned— my otherwise indestructible— skin off to save her skinny little ass she'd be a little more appreciative. But no— no that was just a fluke— after risking my own life for her, I'm going to go for her jugular the first chance I get.

I blinked back the rain drops collecting around my eyes and realized the light was glowing green now. The dim lights of the town blurred past as I climbed in speed, and faded into the darkness of the forest.

You'd think I would have at least gotten a thank you? Maybe? I guess she sort of half-assed a thank you for the surgeon. Those cuts bent around her cheek peculiarly. And something about her expression when I mentioned them clued me in to the fact that there was something else going on. That wasn't my business though. Making sure she was stitched up and healing however was. Not that I did it to be thanked, or really expected appreciation, I just wasn't prepared for the anger. For some reason I remembered her being much sweeter… and quieter.

"…and I know that no matter what words happen to come from your mouth, I can never trust you. _A man of your word," _Her words burned through my mind again. I'd wanted to yell at her, shake her until some sense infiltrated that daft brain of hers. But, in her defense, I guess remembering Emmett's joke about waltzing and laughing, basically in her face, didn't exactly soothe the confusion she was quickly spinning into anger. She was upset, and confused and I had laughed at her. I sank back in the seat, realizing what I'd just screwed up. That hadn't been my intention at all— laughing at her— I'd just meant to lighten the mood. Maybe get her to relax a little since, I was having little luck calming her down.

The gravel of the home stretch crackled beneath my tires, and the ghost of the big white house loomed in the distance. It was strange really, how quickly my view of the place had changed. It used to be all lit up, and welcoming. A beacon beckoning me home through the surrounding darkness, but now dread inched in chilling what the night air couldn't reach. The house is filled to the brim with memories— memories of people I don't want to think about now. They only serve as connections to the pain I'm trying to detach from. I pulled up to the front, not bothering with the garage. I sat, staring at the blank windows, not wanting to go in, not wanting to be alone with myself. I had expected to be on my way tonight— to where I'm not sure. Bella had been right to ask, and I rolled my eyes at myself for not thinking it all out first. That wasn't like me. Just jumping into something without carefully calculating the best course of action. I had just felt such a strong need to get her out of here that I hadn't considered much else.

Who would have thought this would be such a difficult task? I had expected a challenge, but not the relentless spitfire I'd gotten shackled with. I mean— I had some credentials to my name. Being a major in the army, and officer in more wars and battles than I could count. You'd think that counted for something. I guess this wasn't exactly the same kind of challenge though. Those were tests of strength and bravery and very often charisma… well the last applied but failed. Why was it I could disarm any other person with a flourish of my will but it only seemed to enrage her. My mere presence seemed to enrage her.

She was seriously pissed-off about something. What was all that? She spewed off a list of every indiscretion she could think of and was grasping for more. She might as well have grabbed me by a fistful of hair and rubbed my nose in all my mistakes. I'd wanted to yell right back, I'd wanted to tell her it was fine with me if she died a slow and painful death at the hands of these vampires she seemed to deem less heinous than me. But the thing that kept me from telling her what she could do with her list of my shortcomings was the fact that it was all true. Every last thing she'd said. There was _no reason_ for her to trust me, on any level, let alone with her life. None at all. She was dead-on about every single thing she'd said. Hell, I didn't even trust me… most of the time.

Maybe she was just hoping by angering me she'd get me to leave, maybe she really held all of that against me, but if that was the case— she didn't know the half of it. This was going to be a test of patience. A test that required more than I had in the reserve. I had never been a patient man, and lately I'd found myself terribly lacking in that area.

I sat outside not wanting to go in. The rain lightened but still softly beat a rhythm against the forest floor. The darkened windows used to glow with warm light, and usually my little Alice would come running to greet me with a kiss or Emmett, ready for a _fair _fight, would come bounding out the front door as I drove up. But they were gone now, and the windows were dark and vacant. This house would never be home again. Just a waiting place. Which brought me to my next dilemma. What exactly would I do with Bella and her parents once this spell of waiting was over?

Slowly, I climbed the steps then sank to the top step just under the cover of the porch. I pulled my phone from my pocket, wondering if I'd have to get a new one. It was soaking wet, but still working at the moment. I dialed the long forgotten number and after hesitating a moment pressed send.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello?"

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BellaPOV

I stared at Jasper's back as he went muttering out into the stormy night. I watched Charlie, and then another person exit the cruiser and jog frantically through the downpour to the front door. Charlie's foot caught a loose board and he almost came sprawling into me where I stood holding the door open, but he caught his balance.

I stepped out of the way as Charlie— followed by the mystery guest cloaked in a big black rain jacket— came dripping into the entryway.

I stood wide-eyed in the dark as Charlie ran for the bathroom and the black coat was discarded to the already wet floorboards.

"Mom?" I squinted through the near pitch darkness, forgetting I held a flashlight in my hand.

"Hey, sweetheart." Her skin glowed pallid and pale in the darkness. I flipped on the flashlight.

"What happened? Mom are you ok?" I exclaimed as I took in her red-rimmed eyes and pale complexion.

"Someone broke into the inn, Bella." Charlie stated in his police officer voice, as he stalked back from the linen closet with a towel to wrap around Renee's shoudlers.

I felt all of my blood head straight for my toes. My head spun, the room see-sawed back and forth. "What?" I heard my voice meekly ask. "Just _her_ room?" I looked wildly between the two of them. My mind was already racing back to my conversation with Jasper in horror. Could he have been telling the truth?

"No, no. There were a few rooms that had been broken into. That's what kept me so late. Sorry if you were worried. I did try to call," He frowned, looking at what I was sure was a delirious expression on my face. I tried to calm down, but my nerves were long past shot— and well beyond calming.

Charlie scrutinized me through the dim glow of the flashlight. "Was that the Cullen boy leaving?" He asked, rubbing the dark stubble on his chin with a soft scratching sound.

"Hale," I corrected for some reason unbeknownst to me, " And yes— he just came by to make sure I was ok. He had been out of town since the accident." I wasn't really sure why I'd just lied for him. There was no reason for me to cover for him, for me to lie, except for the fact that I couldn't tell Charlie what he'd really come by to say. I almost laughed thinking how that conversation would go, but held it back, for fear Charlie would further question my sanity.

_Uh, hey dad? Well, those murders— they're being committed by a crazed group of vampires that are part of their version of the mafia, and well Jasper— you know my ex-boyfriend's brother, he wants to take us somewhere to hide from them, but he doesn't know exactly where yet. Oh, and he's a vampire too. Sound good? _

"Huh, kinda weird time." Charlie saw through me very easily. I shrugged in response, hoping my bored expression covered the bubble of irrational laughter. I twirled a damp strand of hair in my fingers as I watched my mom try to dry her hair. It had been plastered to her head and now was starting to frizz and stick up in weird places. If not for her bedraggled expression, I might have teased her about it.

I shifted uneasily as I realized Charlie was still watching me. "So, was it just a robbery or something?" I questioned mentally crossing my fingers, hoping it had nothing to do with the story I was afraid Jasper hadn't made up.

"Well, that's the weird part. We didn't find anything really missing. Some stuff was thrown around, but nothing was actually taken, and Renee had left her laptop out on the bed. I just don't know what the world is coming to… when you can't even depend on robbers to just be robbers anymore." He flipped the dead switch with a soft click then gave up and ushered us into the living room. I sat, Renee headed for the bathroom to change and Charlie went rummaging in the kitchen. I heard the clack of a beer can opening and the sink turn on in the bathroom.

I was overwhelmed again by what Jasper had claimed, thinking of what it would mean for my parents. None of it made sense. Why would he care, why was he here in town, and the question that bothered me most of all… why would he lie? I cradled my head in my hands, wishing for once that my life could just go back to simple. Every since I had moved to Forks it had been one thing or another. I wanted to be invisible again. I sighed and lifted my head to Charlie's dark eyes on me. The strange way he studied me made me really uncomfortable. Like… he knew something he wasn't saying. We stared at each other a long moment, then Renee's soft padding down the hallway broke the staring contest.

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble," she started in a trembling voice. She sounded like a small child, and my heart ached for her. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her, letting her rest her head against my shoulder. It worked since we were about the same height. Charlie watched us as he drained his beer.

"Mom, you just need to sleep. You're exhausted. You can have my bed, I'll sleep down here on the couch." I didn't want her sleeping on the couch. She would be safer upstairs and my bed was more comfortable. She looked like she could use the comfort.

"Actually Bella, if you'll let me be a gentleman, the ladies can have the beds, I'll probably have to go back to the station sometime tonight anyway." He smiled half-heartedly and crushed his can in one hand.

"Well, you have a king right? How about the two of us sleep in your room and you can have my room?" I offered, that way everyone would be comfortable. He nodded curtly, pulled clean sheets from the closet and disappeared to make his bed for us.

I walked across the damp floor, my toes aching against the penetrating cold and flipped the dead-bolt.

*

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_AroPOV_

I've seen men rise and fall, and their nations along with them. Napoleon, Hitler, Castro to name a few. Their selfish squabbling over boundaries, beauty and boredom. So is it any wonder that I find little sympathy for them? I use them for survival, but do they not kill each other for much less? Don't they spill each other's blood for even the simplest of offenses, or no offense at all? So what laws are to govern the dead? The laws from the wicked minds of lesser man?

I think not.

What gives man his governance over the animals of the earth? What has allowed him to climb and claw his way to the top of the food chain is one thing, and one thing only. His intellect. It alone makes him dominant over the beasts of the field and birds of the air, who are incapable of his capacity to reason and ability to glean intellect. This one thing allows him to be a better hunter than the bear and lion. His superiority over these lesser species he consumes gives him the right to consume them, to hunt them. So then what does my superior intellect and skill entitle me? The right to hunt the inferior species. The transformation seats us soundly at the top of the food chain. Man's ignorance of this does not make it any less true.

It makes senses, does it not?

It doesn't to Carlisle. No, Carlisle has never understood the natural order of things. He's never quite grasped the force of nature, and what can happen if that force is denied.

He stood before me— his gaze ever-steady, ever-arrogant. You'd think after a week here, only being offered humans to eat, that his arrogance would have lessened. But no, he's still the same arrogant son-of-a-bitch I knew centuries ago.

I chose not to speak with them all at once, but rather to see what I could learn from each of them without the support, or pressure of the others. Some of them would be easy to deal with, I'd been assured of that, but Carlisle, he would not be easy to deal with in any capacity. I liked my challenge first.

"Carlisle, sit, sit." I motioned him toward a plush chair next to mine, with a warm smile. He kept his face calm and unaffected though I knew what he must be thinking, I knew how he must still distrust me. Betrayal tends to foster such emotions. But even before he'd felt betrayed by me, he hadn't trusted me. He'd always kept his distance. He sat silently, and folded his hands. He looked up at me expectantly. His eyes burned yellow even after the days without food.

"I assume you have some guesses as to why I have called you here." I liked to watch him squirm a bit.

"I have my theories," He replied coolly, his eyes never breaking from mine. His awful yellow eyes.

I pressed searching for the weak spot I was sure was there. "Have you shared them all with your family?"

"Not all of them, no. I felt I shouldn't needlessly worry them." He replied, his forced calm demeanor staying firmly in place.

I felt the forceful tug at my conscious mind I had been expecting. I smiled at him, letting him know I was fully aware of what he was trying to do. "So… some of them have caused you worry?" I pressed, itching to reach out and see into his mind.

"Some, yes." His cool exterior was getting old.

We sat staring at one another for a long moment. Carlisle had never feared me before, but now, he had the attachments of family, of people he cared for. I knew the dim flicker of fear in his eyes was for them and them alone.

"Why am I here, Aro?" Ah, so he wasn't as calm as he put off. His irritation gave me an opening.

"To make you a proposition." He looked a little surprised but quickly concealed it behind his poor poker face. " I wish for you to take your rightful place here." I finished watching as the words sunk in.

"_My rightful place…"_ He repeated, looking at me like I was deranged. He still didn't trust me. That was wise.

"Yes, we both know why you left. We both know why you've been hiding out all this time. And we both know why you've gathered yourself a coven of such highly skilled members and allies with a lot of political pull. Tanya and the rest of the Denali clan. She was a valuable link. And Jasper has such sway with all the Westerners. Well, he just has sway with everyone he meets doesn't he? He's so very valuable… such a shame I'll have to hunt him down. I thought he would have been with his wife..." I knew they'd probably sent him away, but the kid was smart, didn't use his credit cards, didn't do anything I could track. "You've made yourself pretty powerful, I'm sure you're aware. But I know what you're doing, Carlisle." I finished fanning my hands out on my knees as I leaned forward.

His eyes narrowed. " You know why I left. If I had wanted to stay, I wouldn't have let you push me out. I called for things to be different and you were afraid of the change I would bring. You were afraid of the dissent I was causing among the rest of the Order." Ah, still so self-righteous. I didn't miss that he'd evaded discussing the empath.

I chuckled, "Afraid? Maybe. That wasn't how I saw it then. I believed your radical ideas would end us. Co-existance with humans? Surely you can understand now, as you have matured more how preposterous that was." I knew full well that last comment would ruffle his feathers a bit. He smiled slow and easy. I felt the frown on my face, wondering where I had slipped up.

"Well then, what has changed your mind?" he pressed, a smile still tugging the corners of his mouth.

"What you knew would. You have quite the political sway, and quite a little collection of talent at your disposal. I just have one question though…" I paused watching his mind reach my question before I could ask it. "Do they know what you've done to them? How you've used them?" I watched the anger flash behind those eerie eyes. I stood circling over to my desk behind him. The moment drew long and silent.

"That wasn't my intention." His voice was hard-edged in its calmness. "They were each rescued from death. I didn't know about the talents they possess before their changes." He forced it through his tight lips and never turned to look at me.

I let a slow laugh grate across his nerves. "You've chosen to be a doctor, dear friend. You help humans heal, and sometimes watch them die. So, if you were so overly concerned for the loss of human life, why would you not have changed every single person who has died in one of your hospital beds? You can't tell me you had no inclination as to what those who call themselves your _family _ would become. You observed them, watched for peculiarities and those who possessed potential are your chosen ones. Especially that boy Edward…" Carlisle didn't respond. I just watched the slow drum of his fingers against the armrest as his eyes pierced the floor. "Am I right?" I pressed waiting for the break in his control.

He waited a moment more, and then, with that eerie calmness of his, replied. "Alice came to me, completely of her own accord, as did Jasper who left us some time ago." Oh yes, I knew all about little Alice. "Emmett came to me through Rosalie, I didn't choose him, nor did she. She came upon him dying. Edward— yes I knew what he might become, and selfishly I was very lonely after my excommunication here. But his talent, the gift I may have guessed he might possess was not my motivation. Esme— I didn't know her until she was on her deathbed, mere moments from the grips of death. And Rosalie— she was so far from death, but too far gone to return to life. I didn't wish for her to suffer anymore." I circled back around him as he spoke, to see the tight lines in his face, his eyes piercing the present and seeing straight to the past.

I chuckled as he protested, his eyes aflame at my accusations. So he did truly love them. That put a kink in things, but nothing that couldn't be taken care of.

"Well then, what of the others you allowed to die on your operating table? Why did you not save them from clutches of death as you did the others?" I hit a nerve. His brow furrowed and his jaw set.

"Because I don't wish this life for others. I made a choice with Edward, Esme and Rosalie. And I've seen the regret and sorrow its brought some of them. I refuse to make that choice for anyone else." Poor man, he looked so tired. That would make my job easier.

"Always noble my friend." Carlisle still looked disturbed. When he let his emotions flare, that was when I could most easily get under his skin. "So, is that why you've revealed our secret to a little human girl back in Forks?" Carlisle's eyes betrayed him. They flashed with anger. "… To see if she would desire to become one of you, before you had to change her?" I kept my voice low and unassuming.

His nostrils flared as he responded. "We didn't intend to break out oath. She was observant. And she wished to be come one of us. We didn't see the harm in it, but the situation changed. I didn't think her much of a threat. Who would believe the ranting of a heart-broken 17-year-old?" His voice was uncharacteristically harsh.

"Some might. Isn't she twenty now? Not a child any longer. And I'm told quite the little find. But that's not the point. The point is, you have committed a crime… the worst crime. And you know what the punishment for that crime is." I looked down at my nails and took great care removing an article from beneath one of them.

"Yes, I am aware. As are the others." He tented his fingers beneath his chin, his eyes alight with an emotion I couldn't name.

"And you have accepted that may be your fate?" I was surprised he came with no fight. He didn't even try to evade my request, my summoning. Of course,I had other means in place to bring them here, but he didn't know that, or maybe he did and that's exactly why he came. Again, I wished I could reach out and see and understand all his motives. He had always been an enigma to me. Strange, and unorthodox. But he wasn't so very different from us. He wanted to be, but he wasn't. He looked down his nose at me for my using my skills against others, but didn't he himself just use his own skills against me? Didn't he use them against those he calls his family? Didn't he use them against that little girl he cared for in a protective way I couldn't quite understand? He might not ever admit to it, but I knew Carisle's gift was not as as weak as he pretended. I could applaud him, he was smart for playing it so close to the vest.

His stern voice interrupted my inner-monologue.

"Aro, I don't really understand why you're playing this game… starving us, tempting me with this position… I know what you do with everyone you summon this way. I know you destroy them. I know you have siphoned off those who have threatened you. I've watched one by one as those you call 'friend' have disappeared. I'm not naive. I know what's happening." It was his turn to rise. He paced the carpet. The sun threw bars across the carpet, and as he walked the light refracted and sent colors across the walls.

"Do you?" I laughed realizing he truly believed that.

"Yes." He stopped, looking at me through darkened eyes.

"Oh, oh. You really thought I would kill them? Would kill you?" I pretended for his sake, that I'd just put it all together. He knew better.

I clucked my tongue and shook my head as he glared down at me with obvious intrigue. "Carlisle, I really thought you would have caught on by now. I would never waste such precious talent, skill and ability. The ones that I have chosen, they will become part of the Order, one way or another. I have let this little game continue, but I have my own ways to end it. So the question is, will you change willingly or will we have to do things my way?" I snapped my jaw shut audibly as I finished and cursed him inwardly; wondering when he'd broken through my will without my knowledge, when he'd coaxed me to tell him so much.

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Comment please!!! Thanks!


	9. Recap

***Small recap and explanations for those who are confused.

Some of the character I guess you would say are OOC, but it's my opinion that in any story that differs from SM's original the characters are going to be at least a little different. Characters are organic and bend and change with their environments. Sure some things will be the same, there are things they will react the same way to, and handle similarly, but they're also older, wiser, maybe more bitter and have lived a little more life. They're not kids anymore, they're adults. And some of it will seem different to you, because my perception of the characters in their original form will be different from yours. So, in effect, if it bothers you that they're not exactly the same people SM wrote in Eclipse, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn, I apologize, but that's the way I'm writing it. I do hope everyone is enjoying it, and that this will maybe shed some light on things.

_**Bella**_— She's been going to community college and living in Forks with Charlie since graduating High School. Her split with Edward left her feeling really insecure and depressed, so she didn't make her usual amazing grades senior year, and wanted the security of a familiar place and familiar people. Her and Angela are still best friends. Her and Jake semi-dated for awhile, but Bella's heart was never really in it. She thought it was because she was in love with Edward still, but she slowly is realizing she just wasn't in love with Jake. She's learning also that she is more over Edward than she had once thought. Bella is really confused about Jasper's presence in Forks and why he cares about what happens to her. She thought the whole family had discarded her when Edward did. She's unsure of whether or not to trust him, and her insecurity and confusion are a dangerous combination. She's an adult now. No longer a child. And maybe a little embittered by things that have happened to her. She's also more mature, smarter and this time around will hopefully stick up for herself a bit and not let people walk all over her. And we can hope she'll find a balance between the doormat and the person wiping their boots on the doormat. She doesn't like wearing boots, that's not really her.

_**Jasper**_— saddled with guilt for the way his behavior at Bella's birthday affected his family, Jasper hit the road. Carlisle called him back under the pretense of asking his help, but really just wanted to ask him to stay behind for them, and to look out for Bella. He and Alice had been separated for a little over a year but put it all behind them for their last night together. We're not quite sure yet, what the real reason the Cullens picked Jasper to stay behind is. All they said was true, but we're left feeling like there's something more going on. Jasper's current assignment is to look out for Bella, and with crazed vampires on the loose and Bella identifying with her more stubborn side, he's got his work cut out for him. He's currently waiting for her to come around and see she needs his help. Jasper is in love with Alice, but is trying to block it from his mind and not dwell on the pain of losing her and the rest of his family. Oh and he rides a sexy motorcycle and really likes his whiskey. Its his means of escape.

_**Alice**_— Alice is an enigma to herself. She doesn't know why her usually reliable powers have suddenly gone haywire. She's suffering from intense headaches and sporadic glimpses of the uncertain future. She's not able to look for specific things, but rather her visions are forcing themselves on her. (I.e. Visions of Jasper and another woman) Once they actually get to Italy Alice is overcome by the pain and finds herself in a very odd vision. She can't make heads or tails of it yet, so you're not supposed to either. She loves Jasper, but also has prepared herself for the possibility that they will never be together again, or that he will move on in her absence.

_**Carlisle**_— I've always thought Carlisle was secretly a badass so, in my story, he is. He can go head to head with Aro, the formidable leader of the Volturi and acting head of the Order,(Don't worry, we'll know what that is later) and hold his own. Carlisle's ability is different, and we're not sure yet how powerful he is. When he told Esme he couldn't influence strong-willed or minded people, we're supposed to think that's what he's always told everyone. But through Aro's eyes we get a glimpse of the fact that he may be more powerful than he lets on and has been "playing it close to the vest" to use Aro's words. Also, Aro bluntly stated that Carlisle has collected some precious talent and implied that he's done it to gain influence. Carlisle vehemently protests this accusation because he does love his family, but we're left with the nagging possibility since, it _is_ a possibility that he did that and learned to love them.

_**Aro**_— Based on what Carlisle told Jasper, we think they're being summoned to Voltera to be killed, but Aro values abilities and plans on integrating the Cullens into his little army of super-vampires. Aro is obviously really threatened by Carlisle and we'll get glimpses into their past and understand better why and what that may mean for the future. Aro has some interesting new additions we'll get to meet later. Aro was obviously involved in Alice's confusing vision but we're not sure how… yet. Aro is particularly interested in Edward. He thinks Edward is some master move in what he thinks is Carlisle's goal of check mate. Maybe Aro is just super paranoid like many people in power are. Maybe Carlisle is really up to something.

_**Edward— **_What's going on with Edward… hmm he's still in love with Bella. He asks Jasper to stay because he doesn't want her hurt or involved in anything else. WE're left to think maybe Carlisle and Edward's silent exchange told more than Jasper assumed. Jasper noticed some strange difference in Edward's appearance that may or may not be significant. Carlisle and Edward like to exchange meaningful looks lately, so maybe that means something? Maybe they just like to look at each other. Haha. No, we'll find out later what those meaningful looks might mean. Edward hid something on Bella's front porch, and apparently didn't put the floor board back very well because Charlie tripped over it. What could it be?

_**Rose**_, _**Emmett**_, _**Esme**_— they're just along for the ride at this point, but since I love their characters, at least Rose and Emmett will have more significant roles later on, and maybe some interesting secrets of their own.

_**Renee**_ _**and**_ _**Charlie**_— After Phil breaks Renee's heart over some flighty flight attendant, she has to come up to Forks to check on Bella. Charlie and Renee quickly rekindle their romance. Bella is afraid Renee is just using Charlie like Bella herself was just using Jake, even if that wasn't her intention or something she consciously did. But Bella is happy if they're happy, and what kid doesn't dream about their parents getting back together?

_**The**_ _**Razor**_ _**murders**_— who the hell knows what's going on with that. Very public killings that may or may not be associated with vampires. Jasper thinks they are, and that it may be someone after him and Bella since the Cullens are in trouble in Voltera, but he's not sure, and can't really understand why they would go about it this way— So publicly. Bella is essentially scared shitless, but doesn't want to believe it. She wants out of the freaky vampire world, but once you're in— you're in.

_**Mike**_ _**Newton**_— Sweet Mike is at UCLA and still asks about Bella.

_**Lauren**_ _**Mallory**_— will be involved in later chapters. Lauren has always had a crush on Tyler, and hated Bella because Tyler was interested in Bella and not her. Yes, she will still be a superficial character.

_**Tyler**_ _**Crowley**_— works with Charlie at the Police Department and still talks to Mike.

** Let me know if this helps and if there's anything else I can clarify. It's no fun to be confused when you want to enjoy a story, and my goal is for you to enjoy the story I am enjoying writing. Sometimes my imagination gets away from me and I fail to take you on the same ride I'm on. I hope you can jump onboard now. Thanks for reading!


	10. On Call

First, thanks for reading! Your comments have talked me away from the delete button several times. Thanks so much; I do read them all. So, without further ado…

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I'm on call, to be there.

One and all, to be there.

And When you fall, to pieces.

Lord you know, I'll be there waiting.

To be there.

To be there.

I'm gon' brawl, so be there.

One for all, I'll be there.

And when they fall, to pieces.

I'd come a running.

-_Kings of Leon_

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_BellaPOV_

With an exasperated sigh, I rolled over again. The soft glow of the moon shone through the curtain. It was dipping low in the sky. I knew because the light became fainter and grayer as it dropped behind the curtain of trees. Inching slowly for the horizon, it was ready to switch shifts with the sun. I was ready, too.

I took another deep breath, wishing again that my mind could just leave all of this alone— locked away where I wanted it.

I'd been successful each night before at keeping the wreck from my mind. But I'd also had the help of oxycodone. My prescription ran out yesterday. And seeing Jasper tonight hadn't helped. It had just brought all the images, and questions and emotions to the surface.

Each time I neared the edge of sleep it was the same. These thoughts that I kept locked away demanded to be seen. Here in this limbo between sleep and waking, my mind would force them to the front. Pieces of wreck would blur behind my eyes like a movie in fast motion.

_Jacob. Blood. Rain. Mud. Phone. Charlie. Message. Blank. Throbbing. Jasper. Fear. Jasper. Bleeding. Jasper. Scream. Jasper. Safe. Jasper. Blank._

It slowed and switched to slow motion over the parts that seemed of particular significance to my subconscious.

Dark and smoldering with terror, Jasper's eyes as he reached for me that final moment before the truck ignited. The raw grate of his voice as he hollered for Jacob to get us out, the formidable strength of his cold arms— arms that could crush me if tightened too much, arms that could destroy in the blink of my human eye. But they were strong and protecting, an unexpected defense around me as the world whirled in fire and fast motion. He cradled my head to him with such surprising care, with such restraint and strength.

Then my mind inserted, keeping to chronological order, the tidbits Tyler had shared about Jasper holding me when he'd arrived, and riding with me in the back of the ambulance. And the realization the Cullens had left, but Jasper had stayed behind. But then— then my minds eye would pause on the image of his eyes at the hospital— dark and ominous, frightening and intriguing. They communicated everything I was afraid of.

I snapped my eyes open in frustration. Sighing, once again, I tossed off the blankets, careful not to disturb Renee, who, I noted, was still sleeping soundly. Shivering against the chill of night, I shrugged on a thin wool robe and headed to the kitchen to make Charlie's coffee and to have a cup myself. I glanced over my shoulder at the neon red glow of the clock. It blinked at 12:00.

I considered, as I prepared the coffee, what it really was that bothered me so much. I really wanted to sort through it all so I could put it behind me.

Was it simply that Jasper had been involved? If it had been someone else, _anyone_ else, I would be dwelling on the fact that I'd almost died in a car wreck, not on who had pulled me out of the truck. It seemed like an obligatory thing _anyone _would do for someone they knew who was in trouble. But _anyone _didn't snap at the first sign of blood; _anyone _wasn't risking more than just his life to save someone they should care nothing about; _anyone _simply wasn't Jasper.

With the coffee set to brew, and no appetite to appease, my mind fixed on what had happened last night. The man who'd been standing in that foyer dripping with stories I wanted to believe were lies.

I was a rational person… most of the time. Maybe exclude last night. So, there was a rational way to sort through all of this. A rational explanation for what was occurring in the world around me.

So, I began with what I knew for a fact.

I knew…I knew that… What did I know _for a fact?_

My brain was sluggish with lack of sleep. I breathed in thankfully when the coffee pot signaled it was finished brewing with a soft beep. I filled my mug, Forks PD, then reached in the fridge for my favorite Coffee-Mate: _Pumpkin Spice. _Also known as Thanksgiving in a cup. Sipping, I grabbed a pen from the catch-all drawer and a pad of paper. I wrote fact and fiction and drew a line to separate them. Ok, so…

_Fact:_

_-Jacob cut my face._

_-Jasper paid for a surgeon. _

_-I was in a wreck and almost died._

_-Jasper pulled me out of the truck._

_-People are being murdered mysteriously throughout the state._

_-Jasper tried to convince me to evacuate with him._

I scanned the list. Hmm... There was a definite pattern there. I decided to work on the other side. I drummed my pen, staring at the word _fiction. _I tried to remember what exactly had pushed me to that anger last night. What had pissed me off so thoroughly?

Was it that he really and truly frightened me? He'd always been a bit of a mystery. The Cullen standing in the shadows, who was dangerous and shouldn't come too close. I'd never been alone with him before last week. I'd never had more than a couple sentences worth of conversation with him either.

Or perhaps it was that I felt completely on edge anytime he was around. Like something about him made my emotional circuits go haywire. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't sort through emotion and thought to be logical.

Maybe it was that I really and truly believed he killed those people outside Forks. I mean, he disappeared for a week. Why else would he have stayed away like that, and then showed up out of the blue a week later? He had to take care of some things? Like maybe his appetite?

And maybe, if I was being completely honest with myself, the fact that he cared at all about what happened to me struck something long twisted and embittered. This part of me I locked away to fester, I had built walls around to keep people out and he had no regard for my walls. He reached around them and wrecked havoc with my mind and emotions. So much had happened in so little time. How's a girl supposed to deal with all of that, and still react rationally to irrational news?

I retraced fiction and set to work.

_Fiction:_

_-Vampires are responsible for the murders._

_-Jasper has changed, and is in control of himself._

_-Jasper can be trusted._

I looked at those three sentences. Why exactly did I think he wasn't worthy of my trust? Hadn't he put his own immortal life in danger for me… on more than one occasion? I remembered the event then, that had set this whole alternate universe in motion. This wasn't the way my life was supposed to turn out. Jasper's actions at my birthday had all but guaranteed the Cullens departure and my unhappiness.

My own words echoed in my head in further response.

_I know you, Jasper. Don't ever forget that. I know about the innumerable people you've killed. I know about those scars on your arms. I know that if the Cullens left you behind, they probably had a really good reason. I know you killed those people._

Oh yeah.

I cringed inwardly, remembering the harsh cut of my tone. I went back to the fact side of my list and added a few things.

_-Jasper has killed a lot of people._

_-Jasper doesn't hold the aversion to killing the others had._

_-Two people were killed outside Forks in his absence._

_-Jasper disappeared when all the murders started._

_-The Cullens left Jasper behind._

_-Jasper has tried to kill me before._

I paused then added.

_-Jasper has saved my life before._

I choked on a sharp intake of breath as I jumped, startled. Charlie came striding around the corner in his red flannel. He jumped too.

"Bella." He paused, relaxing from being startled and looking down at my notepad as I flipped it over in haste. "What are you doing up?" He looked at me with that same intense scrutiny I'd been uncomfortable under the night before. His eyes lingered at my hand.

"Uh, couldn't sleep." I quickly stated with a smile. "You going fishing?"

"Yeah, thanks for the coffee." He filled a mug, then turned back, his eyes flickering to my hand. "What were you doing?"

"Uh… well… just trying to sort through some things," I laughed nervously, praying he wouldn't press it.

He was silent as he drained his mug slowly as we remained in uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I'm going to go get ready." He mumbled, poured the grains out into the sink and rinsed his mug. He strode quickly for the door, then halted and spun around. His eyes fixed at the notepad once again.

"Where'd you get that?" He point a weathered finger out at my hand.

"What?" I asked, confused, and wondering what he was talking about. "The notepad? My hand?" I laughed looking up at him for clarification.

"No, the scar."

The words sank through my ears and down into my stomach like a heavy brick. My heart raced as I searched for something to say.

"Uh…" I blurted out the first thing that entered my mind, "It's from a few years ago, when I broke my leg. I think I cut it on glass or something." I shrugged trying very hard to look convincing. I wanted to hide my hand. Sit on it, or anything just to get Charlie's eyes off of it.

"Hm." It sounded like a statement. But thankfully he said nothing more and turned and left the kitchen. I let out a breath, that I hadn't realized I was holding.

I folded the list carefully and tucked it in my pocket.

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One day passed. Then two. Then three and before I knew it a whole week had come and gone. I didn't hear from or see Jasper in that time leading up to my return to work and school. It unnerved me— not hearing from him again after that night, so work and school were welcome distractions.

The Fork, the local diner Charlie and I had frequented, occupied my Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. On the remaining weekdays, I drove to Port Angeles to go to community college. The plan was to just get my basics, and then transfer somewhere else, if I chose to. I really couldn't think past this semester. It's like I just can't imagine where my life would go after this. A University— I couldn't imagine leaving. Or staying in Forks and my life continuing as it is now…forever? Neither really seemed right.

But, resuming my normal activities had been good. I was going stir crazy being locked in my house with Renee and Charlie. Yeah, my truck was totaled, so no car. I walked to work since it was sunny. I'd have to figure out what I was going to do. Charlie driving me to and from school really wasn't feasible long-term.

I pressed my palm to the glass, watching the halo of fog form around it. Small rain drops glistened on the other side of the pane. It had been an especially sunny week. Almost everyday we had sunshine. It definitely did wonders for my mood. This day couldn't decide which it wanted to be: sunny or rainy. They warred back and forth, gaining and losing ground. The sun pierced a grey cloud and sent golden light across the small town street. A shiny black motorcycle caught my eye where it was parked in front of the impound office next to the police station down at the end of the block. I wiped away the fog to get a better look.

"Bella!" I jumped, turning around quickly, "Could you get the mop and clean up that spill near the door?" Carlos, the owner and Charlie's long time friend, asked over a steaming stack of pancakes, "Oh wait, never mind, I forgot. Lauren! Clean up the mess in the front!" He called over his shoulder to Lauren, who was scowling through squinted eyes at me. She'd never particularly cared for me, well actually I'm pretty sure she'd always hated me, but this just gave her more reason. She kept getting stuck with tasks I was capable of completing but Carlos wouldn't let me.

"I got it." Angela came through the door with a gust of wind that was cool and warm all at the same time. She discarded her books behind the counter and quickly tied her black apron around her trim waist. Specks of water droplets glistened in her raven hair. She gave me a bright smile and a wink as she reached for the mop.

I glanced back over my shoulder searching for the motorcycle, but it was gone. I wondered absently if it was his. I moved out of Angela's way and stepped around the counter. I took the tray of clean silverware and began rolling sets into soft white napkins.

"You look good." Angela commented sweetly, wringing the mop out. I smiled in response.

I _was_ good; I had healed very quickly. The doctor was surprised when he pulled the bandage off my face to reveal fresh, rewoven, skin. It was still upraised and discolored, but they assured me it would continue to fade. I guess that's the benefit of a world-class surgeon. It made me a little sick when I thought about how much Jasper must have paid for the doctor, to make him fly out from whatever world class facility he normally operated in, so I did my best not to think about it.

I stood, leaning over the yellowed Formica counter, staring out into the glimpse of golden light. The rays danced in the front window, casting ripples off a puddle on the sidewalk and across the cream interior wall.

The crowd had ebbed after the lunch rush and Carlos wouldn't let me help with any of the usual janitorial tasks. I ran out of silverware quickly, and started re-rolling just to keep my hands busy. The news I'd heard just this morning was on my mind in repeat.

_After the period of unprecedented serial homicides, the state has not reported any more by the group associated with the Razor Murders within the past 48hrs. The police have apprehended those associated with the crimes. We'll have more at 8._

The media, and police, of course, had several people they were pinning the streak on, most of whom were ex-cons with particularly dark backgrounds and menacing faces. Their grimaces were plastered across every police station, newspaper and TV screen. So, I guess Jasper had, in fact, been wrong about the whole thing.

I traced the scarred slit at my hand. The mark I'd heard the news anchors report on again and again. I reminded myself of the vital difference: teeth, not a razor blade, had left mine.

The entire thing made very little sense to me. The authorities had said that it was all the work of mastermind serial killers. But everything Jasper had said… what reason had he to lie? In the heat of the moment, I'd just not wanted to believe him. I'd wanted to shut down that horrifying possibility and I thought, mistakenly, the way to do that was to catalog all of his faults. Like somehow that could make what he was saying less true.

I hid my flushing face in my hands. He saved my life, and apparently in Bella-land the repayment for such a noble rescue was getting your nose rubbed in all your mistakes. I was beyond ashamed of myself. The look on his face when I'd said all of those things…

"You look pretty burdened," Angela commented. I peaked through my fingers at her, my face still burning in shame. She swept the old mop back and forth with a soft squeak against the tile. I watched her methodical movement. I rested my chin in my hands to answer her.

"Oh, it's nothing." I shrugged my shoulders, attempting a smile.

"It's never nothing, Bella." She paused leaning on the old wooden handle of the mop and looking up at me. She rested her face on her hand as she studied me.

"Does it have to do with Jacob? Or… Edward's brother?" she pressed, her eyes watching mine with sympathetic interest. I noted the absence of the usual stab of pain at Edward's name.

"Both I guess. I miss Jake, of course. But I'm ok without him, you know? But Jasper… I don't know why he's here. Or…" I couldn't put words to my thoughts. I didn't really know what I thought about the whole mess, let alone how to translate it to someone else who couldn't understand all the dynamics they were oblivious to.

"Or… if you can trust him?" she finished for me, her brow furrowed.

She had no idea. I didn't answer but fiddled with the hem of my black shirt. It had a silver fork screen printed on the front.

"Your life is so exciting." Angela's face beamed as if she truly envied the train wreck that was my sorry excuse for a life. I let out a breath in response that sounded something like "Pffft." If she wanted to trade lives, I would be happy more than happy to oblige.

"I want to see him again," she added with a new hint of awe in her voice as she resumed mopping. "I always thought he was… the cutest Cullen." She laughed at herself and didn't look up to meet my eyes.

"I never really noticed him," I added truthfully.

She snorted as she looked up in disbelief, and then realized _why _I hadn't noticed anyone else. She smiled sadly, finishing up with a slap of the mop on the gleaming tiles.

"Although… there is something to be said for sweet, short guys with glasses." She giggled describing her boyfriend Ben. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and took the mop from her and headed to wash it in the back. As I came through the green curtain dividing the kitchen and the front diner I ran straight into Lauren as she was rushing out with plates heaped with food.

"SHH—" I shouted trying to dodge her at the last moment, but instead ended up whacking her with the mop, and then tripping over her and landing in a twisted mess on the floor. "—It" I finished and rolled off of her. I tried to help her up, but she jerked her arm away. Two plates were smashed against her chest, and her eyes, filled with anger, were as round as the plates. I had to bite my tongue to keep the bubbles of laughter at bay as she tried to brush mashed potatoes out of her hair. She, however, looked less than amused.

"You better watch it, _Swan."_ She shoved past me to the bathroom, and I burst into laughter as she turned the corner. Angela's high-pitched peels bounced off the walls in chorus with mine.

"_Swan?" _she snorted as we started gaining control of ourselves, but that just sent us back into fits of laughter.

"Take a seat anywhere." We heard Carlos subtle accent as he seated a new customer.

"GIRLS!" he unceremoniously shouted from the front. Yep, we're very professional. We tried to get a hold of ourselves; not looking at each other was the only option.

Angela scurried through the curtain, and I set to work cleaning up the mess. Not two seconds later, she came bursting through the curtain her face alight with some momentary excitement. I tossed a stray pork chop into the trash and stood up to see what was up.

"What? Why do you look like that?" I chuckled. "Did that hot guy from UPS come in again?" I laughed again remembering how giddy she had acted over that handsome man. She could hardly speak for grinning so hard. Not that I was much smoother, I think I took his entire order one time without saying a single word.

"Uh… Out there." She managed, still grinning. I raised my eyebrows and pushed the curtain aside, looking for the source of her excitement. I scanned the room for a brown uniform, but instead saw someone unexpected.

*

*

*

_JasperPOV_

I glanced up at the sky before hurrying out of the office to my waiting truck. The day had been peppered with showers and sunshine. It was an ongoing battle between clouds and sun. Currently the day was nicely overcast.

"Don't worry about it. I've got it." I said over my shoulder to the attendant as he offered to help me with the bike. I hoisted it easily into the bed of my truck, trying to make it look a little difficult. I slammed the bed door after smoothly settling the Ducati in the back. I turned back to the attendant whose eyes had grown wide. I guess I wasn't a very good actor.

"Nice bike," he muttered in awe, eyes still round.

"Thanks," I offered over my shoulder and slid into the musty cab. It seemed like such a long time ago that I'd last been in this truck. Time, for the most part, had lost meaning to me long ago. Hours slip by and days transform to decades and it goes on and on from there. Time passes, and it never affected me very much, but these two weeks had stretched to encompass so much. The future yawned dark and overwhelming before me, but, at least now, I knew I had somewhere to go, someone on my side.

I slammed on the breaks, and hissed reflexively. A girl went darting across the dreary street as the sky decided to douse the surfaces just warmed by the sun.

She waved absently over her shoulder and burst through the door of a small restaurant. I started slowly driving off, but caught sight of a certain dark-haired girl standing in the window. I pulled into a parallel spot on the street. I watched her turn back towards the window, glance over her shoulder as if she were looking for something then turn and walk away.

I sat there a moment, wondering if she'd cause a huge scene if I went in. I hadn't signed up for the first round of abasement, and wondered if I was volunteering for round two by going in. I decided she'd probably control herself in front of other people. Really, this was probably the best way to let her know I was still here, without seeking her out individually again. That had definitely been a bad idea. But I wanted her to know that I hadn't just left. I didn't know why I wanted her to trust me, and know my word meant something. Maybe because I had promised my life away, and now my job as to ensure she didn't get herself killed. And this job would require cooperation from her. But, so far, it seemed she was hell bent on withholding that trust.

I steeled myself, waiting a moment there in the truck. I pretended I was checking to make sure the clouds would hold, but really, I was just preparing for her to debase me again. I had to be ready, too, for the jumbled mess of her emotions. That was one really strange thing about her, I couldn't seem to make heads or tails of what she was feeling, or reliably influence her. I can't say that's ever happened before, shouldn't be a surprise. She has been anomaly since we were first introduced to her. But I hadn't had this much difficulty with her in the past. Some people are harder to read and therefore manipulate, but she was just an onslaught of chaos, but, in truth, the few times I had spent in her presence lately had been otherwise emotionally charged.

I exited the truck, and got misted with cool rain. Pushing the door of the restaurant open with a quiet jingle, I was greeted and seated by a kindly looking older Hispanic man.

"Girls!" he shouted and I listened for Bella's shuffling footfall. Another girl, the girl who had run in front of my truck, came walking up, searching in her apron for a notepad. As she looked up, her eyes bugged and recognition dawned in them.

"Uh…" she trailed off, staring open-mouthed.

"Hi," I said, smiling slightly and reciprocating the grin spreading across her gaunt face.

"H-hi." She managed, then turned on her heel and strode back the way she'd come. I chuckled a little and busied myself with reading the menu while I waited for the waitress to bring Bella out, as I assumed she was going to do.

Just then, another girl came out of the ladies' room. Something white that looked like mashed potatoes smeared across her damp black t-shirt. Her scowl stretched into a grin as she saw me looking at her. I nodded and looked back at the menu.

I heard the shuffle of sneakers on the floor tiles and crash of a foot connecting with a stray chair leg. Then came the assault of an intoxicating scent. My throat seared. _Bella…_

"_Jasper." _She greeted me warily, but her dark eyes were mild. I half expected her to begin haranguing me immediately.

"_Bella_." I mimicked, smiling slightly as we waited in silence for a moment. I took the moment to document the dark circles beneath her eyes, the gaunt stretch of her skin over her cheekbones and the spark of fading amusement in her chocolate brown eyes.

"You look better." I commented, scrutinizing the healing lacerations on her face. She looked uncomfortable under my gaze.

"Thanks to you." She commented quietly with some unknown emotion lurking beneath my radar. Man, that drove me nuts. Why couldn't I just discern her emotions like everyone else's? Something like shame flushed her face. I swallowed, wishing that blush didn't make her so damn appetizing. She shuffled her sneaker toe across an uneven tile.

A long awkward moment stretched between us.

"It was within my power to help you. So I did." I commented, trying to get her to look at me instead of the floor. She seemed to come back to herself after a second.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with her brusque tone, settling her arms, folded, across her chest.

"I told you I was staying." I replied coolly, hoping we could keep the conversation in the realm of amiable. I was thankful I'd gone ahead and come in though. She already thought I'd left? I guess she really didn't think I was good for my word.

"No. I mean _here."_ She motioned to the restaurant, the first trace of a smile I'd seen since I returned, tugged at the corner of her lips. "At a restaurant…"

The trace of a smile on her face took me off guard.

"Oh." I said a little stunned at her chipper demeanor. "Well, I just wanted some…." I looked back at the menu, stating the first thing I saw. "…Meatloaf." I winked and couldn't help my grin as I handed her the menu. She smirked, took the menu and headed back through the olive curtain.

I drummed my fingers along the laminate wood grain of the tabletop, anticipating her return, trying to force down the instincts she'd already awoken. She was being civil, and almost joking with me. Not what I expected at all. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She appeared a few moments later with a glass of water and my order.

"But really…" she pressed, her expression more serious. I knew it was too good to last.

"I just wanted you to know I meant what I said. I'm not leaving." All traces of her good humor vanished. Her brow stitched as she stared down at me.

"You know I don't understand why." Her voice was so small, so utterly confused. It threw me a little. What an anomaly she was. She was a glimpse of the Bella I had known, albeit not very well, before. I didn't know which version of her I preferred. It was disheartening seeing her look so… frightened, but obviously I wasn't up for another tirade on my character.

"Because…" I couldn't very well tell her the exact reason why. I imagined how well that would go over.

_Um, Bella… so, the Cullens made me promise to stay here and make sure you didn't off yourself due to your tremendously terrible luck. I really don't want to be here. I'm doing this out of sheer obligation and pride and truthfully would have rather died alongside them. _

That would go well. She was being civil and really, I didn't want to seek out Bitch-Bella again. I settled for semi-truth.

"I care what happens to you." I twiddled my thumbs, watching them rather than her. She must think I was a meddlesome jerk. It was better than what she'd think if I told her the truth though.

She bit her lip and shifted her weight, clearly distraught about the whole scenario. I could tell she wanted to say, or ask, something but was reticent about whatever else was troubling her. I did my best to make her more comfortable. This wouldn't be possible unless we could get on some kind of common ground.

"Can you sit?" I did my best to soothe her emotionally. Who knew if it would affect her?

She took a purposeful breath. Her knit brow smoothed, and she slid into the red booth across from me. She looked like a child peering at me over the table that nearly reached her chest.

She started in calmly without any more help from me, "I— I guess I just can't understand why you care _now. _I mean, you all left. Not that I expected any less, but why, out of the blue, would you show up here and start wanting to help? You realize it makes no sense don't you?"

"We've always cared about you. Alice has watched over you the past years. If something serious, like your wreck, had happened, we would have sought help for you." An aching pain gnawed at me when I mentioned Alice. I ignored it and focused on putting Bella at ease, to let her know she could trust me, as she'd trusted all of us just a few short years ago.

She seemed to chew on what I'd said for a moment, twirling a strand of mahogany hair as she stared at the table.

"Ok. But… why are you _still_ here_?_" her doe eyes came back to look at me. They shone in the dim light. "And the wreck why were you the one that came? And when you disappeared, both times, where were you?" I was thankful she was asking questions civilly but I didn't want to answer them, _couldn't_ answer them.

"Well, Alice warned me about the wreck before she left. It was decided I would be the one to stay. And I couldn't very well let you get killed when I could stop it, could I?" I glazed over the complex story, then smiled a bit at the contradiction, thinking how precarious our situation had been. I very well could have killed her myself.

I wondered if she was thinking of Edward, as a strange sadness crept into her eyes. It wasn't lost on me that she wished it had been he who had been there rather than me. Understandably.

"Why didn't Alice stay with you? Or you go with her? That's not very… like the two of you is it? To be apart?" Her words might as well have been a knife. I couldn't think for a second. She took the hint I was sure was written not too subtly across my face.

"_That's not really your business is it_?" I all but hissed through the pain before I could catch myself.

"Sorry. That was nosy, and you're right, not my business." She worried her lip as I tried to calm myself to speak. I continued on, feeling like my throat was closing, like my chest was physically aching. I breathed deeply as if that would help.

"As for now, once all of this…" I hesitated making sure she understood I was referring to the murders, "I couldn't leave you on your own, not when they could have a score to settle with you." I ran my hand across my face, waiting for the ache in my chest to abate.

She looked confused again. I wanted to leave; I didn't want to deal with all of Bella's questions right now.

"But…" she stammered, "But… the news said that's all over. You were wrong." She hesitated, cutting her eyes away, "_Mistaken. _It's not… It's not like you said. The police caught the men who did it." I looked around to make sure her rising tone wasn't drawing attention. She stared at me undeterred by the others within earshot. Like her boss, who was eying me with his arms crossed protectively.

"Relax." I interjected curtly, while trying to dull the hum of her haywire emotions. She was frustrating my efforts, and my temper. "I'm staying just the same. Until we're sure you're safe." I didn't want her going off on another tirade, so I wasn't going to fill her in on just how misplaced her trust in the news media might be. Just because they were reporting it, didn't make it true. But, I hoped, for her sake, they were right.

"And when you disappeared?" She reminded me timidly. I sighed wishing I didn't need to lie, wishing I hadn't been so weak, wishing I could be more worthy of her trust and the Cullens'.

"Why are you the only one who gets to ask questions?" I tried not to let my annoyance take over my tone.

She looked a little surprised by my question.

"What would you want to know about _me_?" That seemed to really throw her. She looked to be thinking very hard about what I could want to know about her.

I leaned forward on my elbows, speaking more softly. "What _really_ happened to your face?"

Her gaze changed, eyes flashing with unreadable emotion. " What makes you think it's not glass from the wreck?" she was bad at lying. It was written all over her face. In the way she worried her lip, in the way her eyes darted from mine to her hands in her lap, in the unease of her tone.

"And that is you asking another question, rather than answering mine." I pointed out matter-of-factly. I didn't want to be at odds with her, but I didn't want to answer her question either. I didn't want to lie to her; after all she had endured because of us, somehow lying just felt like kicking someone while they were down. Completely wrong.

"It was glass." She answered looking at my forehead rather than my eyes.

"Right." I added, letting her know I didn't believe her without voicing it.

"Are you going to answer? Where you were… and what happened to those people?"

She folded her arms and leaned back. I could tell her trust hinged on this question. Her dark eyes took me in, discerning with one sweeping look.

"I told you. I had some things to take care of. I didn't kill anyone, Bella." I wanted to flinch as the blatant lie spilled from my lips, but I held my face smoothly free of the guilt I felt.

She narrowed her eyes, but said nothing else.

"Just know." I stated flatly, hoping she would listen. "I'm here. When you realize you need help… you know where I live." I slid out of the booth, meatloaf untouched and turned from her probing eyes-- her eyes that saw through me much too easily. Her eyes, that I feared, would see the fallacies in my story.

"Last question." She said rising after me.

"Fine." I shifted my weight, looking at her with lifted brows. I needed out of here. Away from the burn in my throat, away from the overwhelming scent she constantly emitted, but mostly away from the memories of Alice.

"Where were you going to take me?"

"It doesn't matter now does it?" I responded, wanting the conversation to end quickly.

"No. I guess I'm just curious."

She was hoping we'd go meet up with the rest of the Cullens, I'm sure. If only she knew.

"We were going to see a man named Peter."

"Man?"

"Something like that." A false smile tugged at my lips as I tossed a twenty on the table, and exited the building with a heavy heart and a guilty conscience.

The clouds were still holding.


	11. Fugitive

So, if I were you all I would be thoroughly pissed. I'm sorry about the extended gap between posts. I won't give you my long list of excuses ( mono, starting new university, moving, ect.) So, I was trying so hard to stick to the outline and preconceived ideas I had about the story that it was sucking the life and fun out of it, so I'm letting Bella and Jasper and acid-trip Alice take me where they will. Enjoy—if there's anyone still reading…

-

--

Is the answer none of the above

Crouched in a hole like a mud-streaked fugitive

And everyday a different version of

Pourin' it away like a water through a sieve

Hey better realize my friend

Love in the end now you can't take it well

Gotta live

If only for a second

I see a twinklin' in your eye

Gotta try

Well its flesh and blood and camouflage

In through the wall now somethings gotta give

--

-

I drove.

Yep, I like to drive. Clears the head, keeps me from doing anything stupid, occupies my mind.

The night air whipped at my face, cold and biting. The glow of blinking neon through the black tunnel of asphalt and towering pines beckoned me forward. The lights gleamed fluorescent blue and red against the slick blacktop. I slid my bike into a spot wide enough for a dually out front. Prepared for the onslaught of my thirst, I pressed through the metal door into the enveloping warmth. I took in the room that was larger than I would have guessed, and nicer. An oak bar lined the mirrored wall to my right. To my left, tables and booths were occupied by a surprising number of people, who were younger than I would have guessed. A small stage stretched out in front of the onlookers, where a chorus of wannabe frat guys, who already looked hammered at only seven o'clock—_big surprise_— were singing 'Oops I did it Again.' I felt the smirk of sympathetic embarrassment stretch across my face as I took a stool at the bar. I'd have to be shit-faced to ever get on a stage and sing karaoke.

What is it about bars? They just seem heavy—thick— with smoke, or guilt or maybe just sin. Everyone is trying to escape or hide from something whether physical or mental. The collective guilt, and regret were pressing in on me from all sides.

_Not Helping…_

The bartender, a burly bald man, short but thick, with no neck of course, came to stand in front of me, his eyes narrowing as he studied my face.

"Best whiskey you've got, double on the rocks." I ordered looking him in the eye.

"ID kid?" I rolled my eyes, wanting to tell him I was alive before his great grandparents, but thought better of it. I tossed the small plastic card onto the counter and waited as he glanced back and forth between my face and the card so fast he looked like maybe he was having a seizure. I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

He slid it back and went to make my drink.

"Stanley!" I heard somewhere in the background.

"Sdanley…"An older man, sixty-something, plopped down on the seat next to me, sloshing his scotch. His black hair, swept back in a way that made me think of Carlisle, was streaked gray, much like a skunk. His skin hung loose and leathery from his face, pulling down and folding around his mouth and eyes. He had the sad black eyes of an old hound and swayed slightly as he spoke. "Stan, s'good to see ya 'gin." He clapped me on the shoulder as he slurred over his yankee accent.

I looked behind me to find no one named Stan. The bartender shook his head and shrugged as if he were completely used to the old man's theatrics while he set my glass down on a white napkin.

"Good to see you too, uh…" I started playing along, mostly for the sake of entertainment, but partly because it was nice to have someone to talk to.

"Henry! Henry! C'mon son, sruely you can 'member me. S'been awhile, I r'lize you were gone in the war for a few years, but srely you'd 'member me," His face took on a pleading, that accented the drink induced melancholy in his heart.

"Right, Henry, of course…" I took a swig of the amber liquid, setting my low ball glass back on the counter with a tinkering of ice cubes.

"I can't believe all these kids… they think this is music? I remember the days of Sinatra and Cash," Henry reminisced, waving his arm wildly towards a group of twenty-something guys who were singing Kid Rock.

I noticed that everyone seemed to just ignore him. No one looked at him twice, no one seemed to notice the rise of his voice at all. They must just be used to him.

"Henry, do all these kids usually hang out here?" I questioned, taking another swig of my drink.

"Kids? I don't often call people my own age kids, but anywho… All the local twenty-somethings'come and hang out on kari-kara-kario- whatever that damn-japanese-word is…night."

I nodded, suddenly the beer-drinking britney fans made sense. _College kids._

Henry smelled sweet like pipe-tobacco and whiskey. The combination reminded me of my father. I hadn't thought of my father in… decades. Strange to think of him now. I downed the rest of my drink, and slapped it back to the counter just loud enough for the bartender to know I needed a refill.

I glanced back at the table of college guys again, recognizing two of the guys, twin brothers, from my spanish class back at Forks High. Man, that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"So the war…" I started, oddly comforted by the old man's banter.

I guess, I really was lonely.

*

*

*

_BPOV_

"No, really Angela.. I _can't _wear this." I halted forcing Angela to stop and whip around exasperated. She was tired of telling me to grow up and be a girl.

I stumbled as Lauren shoved past me and headed straight for the door, even the clacking of her heels on the slick pavement sounded bitchy.

"Quit fishing for compliments, Swan." Lauren spat over her shoulder, holding the door open and motioning inside with one irritated jerk of her thumb.

I didn't know when she had become so fond of referring to me as _Swan_ but it was getting old. I, of course, glowered at Lauren over Angela's shoulder. Angela rolled her eyes, I wasn't sure if it was directed towards me or Lauren or both.

"Bella, it's a skirt, get over it and come inside. I'm freezing."

It wasn't just a skirt— it was a _mini-_skirt. The mother of all mini-skirts, high-waisted and it was leather. Yep, leather. I felt like a prostitute and wondered what had possessed me to even let Angela talk me into trying it on, let alone walking out of the door with it on. Really, what possessed me to wear this? Oh yeah… Jose Cuervo and he had been exorcized around the Forks City limit.

"Come on!" She called, holding the door for me since Lauren had disappeared.

I teetered on my tiny kitten heels through the door into the enveloping warmth. I took a deep breath, and steeled myself for this. I don't drink. I don't date. And I don't…

"Angela…" I ground out as we made it through the growing crowd to a table close to the… _stage. "Angela." _I insisted knowing she was ignoring me and hoping she could get to the table where I couldn't freak out on her. I grabbed her arm and jerked her back.

"You did _not _tell me this was a karaoke bar." I was beyond panicked now. Guys. Alcohol. _And_ Singing. When those three were in my cocktail glass it was most assuredly a recipe for disaster.

"Relax. Have a drink. Talk a bit. And if you're still this annoying we'll leave." She smiled to dull her words.

I let go of her arm, silently agreeing to her sneaky little plan. Why did she care so much anyway? Oh yeah, because she was a good friend. Well, right about now, I wished she were a selfish friend who kept her clothes, friends and liquor to herself.

All edgy and worked up, I pushed through the crowd close to the bar on Angela's heels.

"Tyler!" I felt myself relax a tiny fraction.

"I didn't know you were going to be here." I slid into the booth next to him.

His face lit up at my over-enthusiasm. I wasn't really _that_ glad to see him, I was just glad it was him instead of some of Ben's more attractive friends that would make me more awkward.

"Yeah Bella, sit here baby." He slid over, making room for me. "You look great, healed nicely and all glammed up." He winked. I rolled my eyes. I still looked like I'd let a house cat go ape-shit on me, but it was progressively getting less noticeable. The doctor was actually astounded by how fast.

Tyler stared at me a second too long, his gaze lingering.

_Shit. Lauren was going to torture me all night out of sheer jealousy if he payed me this kind of attention in front of her. _

"Oh, Angela got ahold of me after I had too much tequila." I laughed, pulling the skirt down a bit.

"Well you should do it more often Ang. She looks hot." He winked again and, of course, Lauren chose that moment to show up with a round of shots, a steely death glare for me and two guys I recognized from class. Two _cute_ guys. Two guys that made me nervous… nervous enough that my awkward obnoxious laugh usually made an appearance and made me turn six-shades of red. Everywhere from a nice salmon to full on burgundy.

_Great. _

Chase wasn't very tall, but he had a good 3 inches on me. He had shaggy black hair that always seemed to fall across his face, James Dean style. He played up the rebel without a cause attitude, but in a cute way. He was wearing his standard, white v-neck and vintage wash jeans. He winked at me when he saw me staring at him. I blushed again, eliciting a soft laugh from him.

Chase's twin brother, Jared looked a lot like Chase, but he was taller, had shorter hair and took the whole metro movement entirely too seriously. He was too well groomed—shiny nails, perfectly styled hair that somehow always swept perfectly across his forehead and slid into place each time he tossed his head, wrinkleless clothes— It made me uncomfortable how immaculate his appearance always was. He wore a crisp white button-up with what Levi's calls a 'rigid jean' which I found very fitting.

"Shots?" Lauren plastered a saccharine smile on her pointy face and her venomous gaze burned into mine.

"I'm good." I muttered folding my arms, until I got over myself for a second and looked at Angela's face. She was disappointed, she was hurt that I was acting so childish when she was trying to help me out of my rut. Ben looked at me pleadingly. I leaned down a bit to catch her gaze, then reached for a shot and toasted her, letting her know I would at least try. She smiled brightly, and sipped the wine Lauren had brought her.

"So who's up? Girl's karaoke? Or are you going to sing Welcome to the Jungle or something Cherry?" Chase grinned at me, eying my skirt. I blushed a nice fuchsia that matched Angela's top. "Maybe 'I love Rock and Roll'? Bring back the Britney theme?" Yeah, he always called me Cherry. Ben said it was because I always blushed Cherry-red, Lauren said it was because they were making fun of me being so virginal.

I threw back the shot, savoring the searing.

"Aw… I was hoping you guys would sing some 3oh!3 for us. Don't Trust Me, or maybe RICHMAN?" I simpered. His jaw slackened. He was used to me being a blundering fool when he talked to me, and hell, so was I. Maybe my tequila hadn't entirely worn off. "But if you do, you've got to dance around and all like the 3oh!3 boys." He leaned back and laughed, a full on belly-laugh, either in response to me or imagining himself dancing like that on the stage.

We settled in, the boys signed up to sing, downed a bunch of some amber liquid I refused to touch and Tyler turned the conversation toward the weird-ass murders… inevitably.

"Yeah, Charlie… uh Chief Swan…" Tyler shot me an uncomfortable look, wondering if I'd tell on him for being disrespectful.

"I won't tell if you won't." I held up my empty shot glass and nudged him playfully. He grinned before continuing. "He said it's still happening. The government got all hush hush. Not wanting people to panic and flee the state. But people are still getting killed,just not as many and whoever these guys are, they're being less obvious about it. Like… they're suddenly a little gun shy or something."

I went rigid.

_IT WAS STILL HAPPENING?!?!?!_

I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. Tyler was sitting much too close to me. The air was too thick. The music entirely too loud. Everything seemed to have been turned up several notches too high, the lights, the music, the heat.

The guys did another round while I attempted to not hyperventilate.

"I have to pee." I blurted out, getting awkwardly out of the booth. The guys laughed at me. Angela got up behind me, and Lauren wore her usual my-upper-lip-smells-like-shit expression.

"Bella… Bella… Are you ok?" Angela called as I bypassed the cramped bathroom and pushed out the door. I gasped in the cold air as it hit my face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I paced, running my hands through my hair, messing up Angela's craftsmanship.

"What happened? You turned white as a sheet." She wrapped her arms around herself, trembling in the frigid night.

"I'm fine. Just go back in. I'll be right back." I managed while gulping down the icy air.

"You sure?" Her breath fogged white.

"Yes!" I snapped wishing she'd go away so I could think.

She stared for a second, like she was considering pressing me for information then turned and high-tailed it back into the warmth.

I paced back and forth my mind whirring at a million miles a minute.

_It was still happening…_

So…there was a band of bloodlust driven bad guys out to kill me directly in the area, and it was bad enough that the government was lying about it?

No!No!No!

_Bella, don't get carried away. _I reminded myself reigning in my tequila fueled imagination.

Just because they—the killers— are still out there, does NOT mean Jasper is right. It doesn't mean it is vampires, and even if it was, it doesn't mean they are out to get me or Jasper… wait, what if they were after Jasper? If the Cullens were really in trouble, and Jasper didn't go… wouldn't they be pissed? I didn't know much about these lawmaking Vampires, but that seemed like grounds for being really pissed. But, then, why did Jasper care what happened to me? Maybe he didn't— it had been nearly another week since I'd seen him last, maybe he'd left again. Maybe he'd gone to be with the Cullens… wherever they were. But what I really didn't get was why he didn't just go with the Cullens in the first place and leave me in peace?

I gulped down a huge breath, trying to calm myself.

I kept pacing. My body quivering beneath the frigid grasp of the night air.

I sealed my eyes shut, as I shook my head again, like the action would actually clear my frenetic thoughts.

_Everything is fine. You're ok. Go back in and relax. You were actually having a good time for once in your life…_

When I opened my eyes, I was facing the parking lot. The blinking of the red and blue neon lights hypnotizing me as I stared at a shiny black motorcycle.

"Bella? What are you doing here?"

I cut my eyes at the familiar voice.

*

*

*

_AlicePOV_

I sighed, pulling the chilled air—that burned gently—in through my nose. I rolled onto my back, savoring the satiny glide of the sheets against my skin, the heavy droop of my eyelids, the quiet breathing of the man next to me. My arm snaked out beneath the sheets for him. I snuggled up against the hard contours of his back, kissing along the cut of his triceps.

"mmm…" He murmured, his voice deeper than I was expecting— gravelly and sexy as hell. I pulled on his shoulder, and let him roll onto his back. Slowly I kissed up his chest, and took his mouth then lazily opened my eyes as I deepened our hungry kiss. I stiffened when I took in his face.

_Wrong. Man. _

The fog interrupted before I could say anything and I was once again whipped forward and dumped into the present.

With a gasp, my eyes burst open, revealing a room that looked all too familiar.

"STOP DOING THAT!" I screamed to the empty room. My hands went up to fist in my hair. I wanted to rip it all out. This was enough to make me go insane. The visions of my husband— ex-husband?— with other women were enough, but now whatever this weird version of the future was might steal my sanity altogether. The visions would come, pieces, brief moments from point in time that I couldn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. Where did these moments belong? I'd always known before that they fit somewhere into the puzzle of the future, but now, I didn't see how this could fit into the future. And, of course, it made it more difficult because vampires are always the same, and this God-forsaken place has looked the same for about five centuries.

The weirdest part was that in the vision I could see their faces, though no recognition came, but like a dream, when I awoke they were blurred, fuzzy, I couldn't make them out. If I could just identify some key players here it might make more sense. And that damn fog always seemed to blow in at the worst possible second. _Of course._

I stared at myself in a floor-length mirror in the corner—that was edged in rare gems. I looked up abruptly, half-expecting the painting of the woman to be on the dome of the high ceiling. She wasn't there.

"Alice?" Rosalie's soft voice filtered in from the other side of the door.

"Come in, Rose." She peeked in the heavy door.

She quickly shut the door behind her as if she were sneaking, and settled next to me on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly. It was written in her eyes.

_Guilt. _

"I… I think I might have said something I shouldn't have…"

I felt the anger bubble in my chest.

"What do you mean? What did you say? We went over and over this."

"Well, Alice, all he probably would have known anyway… It's not like saying it made it any different."

"Rosalie!" I screeched jumping up from the bed to glare down at her. "What. The. Hell. Did. You. Say?"

"Just… just that…"

The sharp rap at the door interrupted her. She cut her eyes quickly to the door as I spun around to face it.

"What!?" I grumbled, stalking over to throw it open.

A tall, slender man, with shoulders that looked much too broad for the rest of his frame loomed in the doorway. His hair was peppered with gray at the temples, but was otherwise a greasy black. Beady red eyes glared down at me with some form of mirth twisting his thin, colorless lips.

"Caius." I nodded, stepping back from him.

"Alice, my dear." He pushed into the room, taking in Rosalie's frazzled appearance.

"Leave us." He snapped at her. I watched as Rosalie's eyebrows shot up. She stood stretching herself up to nearly the middle of his chest, and shot daggers at him from her blackened eyes.

"I get it. You're like a thousand years old, but in this century you don't get to talk to me like that." Her words sliced through the tense air.

He flipped the end of her hair in his finger, then grazed the tips of his fingers across her cheek. She slapped it away with more force than necessary.

"Feisty are we?" He laughed. She squared her shoulders, stuck her nose up and stalked toward the door.

"You have no _fucking_ idea. Don't mess with me asshole." She spat, her hands balling into fists at her side. Rosalie had taken this confinement the worst. Esme was worried, Edward resigned, Emmett nonchalant, Carlisle was focused, like a nerd at a chessboard, and Rosalie, she was going stir-crazy.

"You're really in no position to get that kind of attitude with me, my dear Rosalie." He purred, earning himself a look that would have melted a lesser man.

"We'll see." She ground out, her eyes narrowed to slits, her voice venomous.

I tensed. Rosalie knew better than to say something like that. She would give us away entirely…

To my relief, Caius just leaned down and cackled in her face.

She turned on her heel and left me alone with him. He let his cackle crescendo to echo down the hall after Rosalie's furiously stalking.

"Did you need something, Caius?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, and locking my leg out to the side. He looked me up and down, his demeaning gaze lingering inappropriately. I knew how to run with the big boys, and he would learn that soon enough.

"I always liked your spirit." He laughed again, crossing close to me. I tried not to shudder as the garlicky aroma of his breath fanned across my face. "So, I hear that you and that husband of yours are separated _again_?" I figured he would go for this.

_Way ahead of you._

I turned my icy gaze on him with full force, curling my fingers tightly around my upper arm.

"That's not really your business is it?" I quipped trying to conceal my disgust with him. Talking this closely with him was like chomping on a whole clove of garlic. _Disgusting_.

"Quite the contrary, little one." He laughed as he circled me. I felt like a carcass about to be devoured. "You see, he was supposed to come with you. He's supposed to be here for the trial with the Order… and if he's not. Well, we'll have to hunt him down and kill him." He emphasized the last words as if the prospect brought him great joy. I stiffened as the last words sank in. I knew that was a possibility. But Jasper could take care of himself… couldn't he?

I said nothing in response.

"But the question really is… " He paused turning to face me. "_Why_. Is. He. Not. Here?" He punctuated the words with his index finger tapping the top of my head. I fumed, trying not to let my temper get the best of me. "Maybe Protecting something… or _someone_ rather?" He stared down at me knowingly. So they'd already put that together. We knew they would at some point, we'd just hoped it was still a little ways off. At least post-trial…

I was silent.

"But the truth is— you were already separated before that weren't you?"

I examined my finger nails, with great interest, refusing to participate in his mission for information. I assumed this was a good sign. Rosalie hadn't revealed anything imperative.

"_Answer me_."

I cut my eyes to glare up at him.

"Yes. We have been separated for almost two years." I confirmed with a nod— afraid of where this was going.

"Ah, but… vampires mate for life. They take their marriage vows a little more seriously than humans. So— how do we explain this anomaly?" He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, his tone tinged with the same irritating mirth distorting his face into some version of a smile.

He was after something. Something specific. I tried to look ahead, but the future was closed to me.

"Looking for something?" He laughed, resting his hand at my shoulder and leering into my face.

"Your abilities are changing…" He added wrapping his fingers around the bones of my shoulder.

"That's ridiculous. Vampires don't change." I stared at him, trying very hard to leave my face blank and bored.

"Not often." He added, confirming Carlisle's suspicions. "What have you seen?" He questioned, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Caius!" A man's voice shrieked from somewhere beyond the hallway. He lingered for a second longer, studying me as if he could read my mind like Edward, then turned his back and stalked for the door.

"I know things you need… you know things I need. I'll get what_ I_ need… one way or another."

I stared at him defiantly, my chin raising.

I caught "Ridiculous." And "Stubborn." as he stalked out closing the door behind him.

*

*

*

_BPOV_

"Bella, what are you doing here?" The voice repeated more adamantly. The tone was accusing and entirely too familiar.

My neck jerked to the side in surprise. "Jake." I managed over my pounding heart.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated, stepping close. He reached out as if he were going to wrap his arms around me, the way he had a million times before, but at the last second he decided against it, and just touched me on the cheek, where three thin bumpy scars were left.

"I could ask you the same thing." I retorted, not liking the condescending edge to his voice. I pulled my face away from his tender touch.

"Just coming to get a drink with the guys, sing a few bars, kill some time." His huge shoulders hung forward like they were too heavy. I leaned to look around him and spotted Quil and the rest of the guys. I gave a quick wave. They didn't reciprocate.

"Who are you here with?" He pressed, irritating me further. It really wasn't his business. We hadn't talked in weeks, not for his lack of trying, but I really had nothing to say. I had forgiven him, sure, but I also knew I didn't want to go back. That horrible day had made me realize there was really nothing between us except wishing there could be. I wanted to love him, but I didn't and that fact ruined any chance at friendship as well.

"Just some kids from school." I shifted my weight, suddenly very aware of the frigid April weather.

"Let's get you inside." He pressed his palm to the small of my back. I felt him tense as soon as we were inside and his protective palm became a tight grasp around my arm, I shrugged away from him. It was awkward, I didn't know whether to bring him over to the table, or try to lose him in the crowd…

"I'm getting a drink. I'll find you in a second." I nodded, not really caring how he was planning on getting a drink. I pushed through the crowd pushing up towards the stage.

I heard girls giggling about some hot guy on the stage, but ignored it trying to get through them to my table.

"You're going to miss it!" Angela called her face tight with an anxious excitement. I rushed over, wondering what I was going to miss, and why Lauren looked so excited. She never looked excited, or any version of happy unless it had to do with a guy.

The definitive picking of the electric guitar hummed with the notoriously southern notes. I hurried over to Angela and the three of us climbed up on our chairs to see.

Tyler, Chase, Jared, Ben and… _Jasper_? Were up on stage ready to sing the first notes of Sweet Home Alabama.

"Big wheels keep on turning,

Carry me home to see my kin.

Singin' songs about the Southland,

I miss Albany once again,

And I think it's a sin, yes."

I felt my mouth hanging open, and my eyes bugging. Not so much what they were singing, but who they were singing with. Jasper Cullen— Hale— Whitlock _whatever—_ singing Karaoke. I'm pretty sure that was on my list of things that I would never _ever_ see happen up until about two seconds ago.

"How did this happen?" I yelled to Angela over the music my astonishment perfectly apparent on my face.

"The guys were talking to someone at the bar when I got back. I didn't know who. And then the next thing I know they're all up there." She yelled back, leaning down so I could hear her.

"Sweet home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I'm coming home to you"

Jasper was clearly enjoying himself. He kept time with the toe of his shoe, and his hand at the mic. He smiled as he sang, the words colored with his enthusiasm. His voice was clear and perfectly in tune, while the other guys danced around the stage singing along, though it was obvious they didn't know the words nearly as well.

"Listen to that accent…" Lauren mused, a tinge of some version of awe in her voice. I shot her a sidelong glance, catching the last traces of a school-girl crush as she caught me looking at her and erased it to look disdainfully at me.

"Sounds like a hick," I heard someone mutter behind me, but I didn't turn to see who'd said it.

"In Birmingham they love the gov'ner

Oooh oooh oooh

Now we all did what we could do

Now Watergate does not bother me

Does your conscience bother you?

Tell the truth"

Chase suddenly remembered there were microphones and was crowding in next to Jasper, wrapping his arm around his wide shoulders as best he could since he was several inches shorter than Jasper and proudly belted out the chorus.

"Sweet home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue (are so blue)

Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I'm comin' home to you

Here I come-- Alabama"

"He's so hot." Lauren mused, then looked like she hadn't meant to say it out loud. I couldn't help my glare. It was natural for me to glare at anything that came out of Lauren's mouth.

"You _have _to admit. He is really hot, Bella." Angela fanned herself with one hand and nudged me playfully with the other. I gripped the back of the chair to keep from falling off of it and onto the floor. " That voice... It's just husky and gravelly enough to be sexy without sounding like he's a smoker." She muttered, the unintentional grin coloring her words.

"I rarely think anyone is _hot. _Attractive, good-looking, sexy even, but hot? Not really."

"So you think he's all those things? Attractive… good-looking… sexy even?" Her smile twisted up as her eyes widened innocently.

"I didn't say that. I just meant… Who were you talking about Ben?" I mirrored her innocent eyes and then nudged her back. She laughed and muttered 'of course.'

I looked away from her and back up to the stage, where they were all dosey-doeing in circles during the interlude of the electric guitar. The crowd hooted and hollered and that only served to spur them on. They became more and more animated with the cheers, and cat-calls from the women in the room.

I wondered at Jasper's strange behavior. I'd never seen him loosen up like this… at all. He usually looked like his dog just died, and mysteriously lurked on the outskirts of everything, influencing but rarely interacting. And if he was interacting— he was all broody, and rude, and his mood shifted so quickly I couldn't keep up. But here he was, front and center, jovial and belting out a southern anthem on karaoke with great enthusiasm.

All I could do was shake my head in bewildered amazement. Maybe he wasn't such a stiff; well… maybe he wasn't so _uptight_ after all.

"What is _he _doing here?" I had forgotten that Jacob was even here. I'd been so surprised by the entertainment, I'd not realized he'd appeared at my elbow.

"Bella." He jerked on my arm, nearly sending me sprawling in my little skirt.

"Geez. Calm down, Jacob. He can go wherever he wants." I shrugged away from Jake, yet again, and turned my attention to the final bars of the song. Ben and Jared had adopted some version of what I vaguely recognized as line dancing and were strumming air guitars, while Chase was passionately singing backup for Jasper, which meant he just echoed everything Jasper sang.

I laughed openly when Chase's whole-hearted performance knocked over the microphone. Jasper's hand snaked out lightning fast and kept it from falling. Jacob let out a sick little laugh. I tensed— normal people didn't move that fast, and I saw the uncertainty flash across Jasper's face. And in that instant his eyes met mine across the room. They were a rich butterscotch liquid and alight with his enthusiasm. The uncertainty hadn't reached his eyes yet. I smiled at him, raising my eyebrows to remind him to sing. Chase sounded horrible without Jasper's rich baritone drowning him out.

He winked and whipped the mic back up his eyes focusing back on the oblivious crowd.

Angela nudged me again, and I heard Jake's distinct growling.

"Did you come here with _him_?" Jacob demanded, really getting on my nerves now.

"No, not that it's any of your business. Just leave me alone, Jacob." I added the last part more firmly, quieting my voice so only he heard. He searched my eyes for a moment, anger clearly etched in the hardline of his mouth, the square set of his jaw, and the coldness in his nearly black eyes. "Go back to your friends. I'm fine." He didn't respond, but turned sharply and walked away, draining his glass.

I glanced back up to find the guys stumbling off the stage. I felt my brow furrow as I watched Jasper stagger with the rest of them.

"They were really good." Angela mused, and we all glanced at her, wondering who she had been watching. Jasper was the only one who could be called any variation of good, and he had been nothing short of amazing.

Tyler was the first back to the table. He was sweaty, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I glanced up, expecting Lauren's murderous glare but her face was twisted into a coquettish grin. My eyes followed her line of sight to Jasper as he picked his way through his swarm of groupies to our table with Chase in tow.

His skin had a strange glow. It was almost flushed. His eyes glowed luminescent, lit with the momentary excitement. I couldn't remember ever having seen them look so bright. They fell to me as he approached.

"Hey Bella." He offered in a friendly tone.

"Hey, great job." I added warily, feeling really weird having this kind of conversation with him. Our interaction thus far had only been tense and associated with some sort of catastrophe. This seemed entirely too… normal.

He grinned— yep grinned— I'd never seen him grin before either. He looked much younger as his eyes softly crinkled at the corners and one side of his mouth stretched back revealing a dimple in his right cheek I didn't even know he had. Just one. I'd never noticed him having it before. Maybe I'd never _really_ seen him smile.

"You guys did amazing." Angela added breaking the silence that fell between us. All the other guys took the compliment personally and started repeating lines from the song as if to impress us.

"Shots!" Jared bellowed in true college boy form interrupting the cacophony. I had to laugh at his disheveled appearance— his shirt untucked and halfway unbuttoned, and his hair sticking up wildly. I liked this version of him better. He was much easier to be around and relate to— _everyone_ was.

The brothers, Ben and Tyler disappeared to the bar to get us drinks. Jasper took that moment to step closer to me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly, realizing I was echoing Jacob's question.

"Apparently singin' Sweet Home Alabama with yer boys." I felt the involuntary grin lift the corner of my mouth. His accent was thick, thicker than I'd ever heard it.

"Apparently." I nodded, glancing at Angela behind him who was jerking her head to the side and motioning with her hands in some elaborate charade move I couldn't decipher. Lauren just looked pissed. Go figure. Angela left the table for the bar, dragging Lauren with her.

"You know, I'd been hearing about this Cherry while I was the guys, and lo and behold, _you're_ Cherry. You'll have to explain that one to me,"

I rolled my eyes. I hated that stupid nickname.

"So, you hang out in restaurants and now bars?" I playfully diverted the strangely amiable conversation, sliding back up onto my chair and crossing my legs.

"Sure." He shrugged. I watched him sway slightly as he stared off. I wondered again what was up with him. He was almost acting…

"In honor of our friend from near the border!" Chase announced, earning a chuckle from Jasper, and setting a whole tray down onto the table. My stomach churned just at the sight of so much tequila.

"That looks dangerous." I commented eying the tray with trepidation, and earning some protests from the guys.

"Come on baby. Just do one with us." Tyler pleaded and I nodded taking the tiny glass from him. From the corner of my eye I watched as Jasper took the one Chase offered him.

"Alright… to Jasper's sweet home state! Alabama!" Tyler bellowed raising his glass and they all downed the contents. I stared at Jasper as he swallowed it, my eyes wide. Was he just _that_ dedicated to keeping up the pretense? Although, I actually couldn't remember Edward ever telling me anything about vampires and liquids, only solids. I frowned.

"Bella, Cherry, baby. Quit staring at him. We all know he's dreamy but take your shot." That definitely broke through my questioning mind. I cut my eyes at Tyler.

"My name is not Cherry, or baby…"

I tapped my shot on the table before downing it quickly and managing a minimal whiskey face.

"…and he's from Texas, dumbass." How did I even remember that? I tried to remember Alice telling me about where Jasper was from, or maybe Edward, but I couldn't. I just knew.

Jared and Chase howled with laughter while Jasper just stared at me a surprised smile on his face.

Tyler shrugged and reached for another shot, then distracted Jasper with confused questioning about why he liked the song Sweet Home Alabama if he was from Texas.

They polished off another few rounds while I scanned the crowd for Angela. Where had she gone? I saw Lauren laying into some chick who'd asked for one of the guys' phone numbers. I laughed. And then I caught sight of Angela and Jacob talking near the bar. Angela, then Jacob glanced in my direction before she nodded and headed back to the table. Angela had never liked Jacob, so I couldn't imagine their conversation being anything in the realm of pleasant.

She broke away from his group and pressed through the crowd to our table. I couldn't help but notice the groupies huddled in the background, ready to pounce if given the chance. Lauren, who had returned to the table, pinned them down with her steely glare.

"What was that about?" I quizzed, my annoyance coloring my tone— none of the guys noticed. Jasper was explaining his general love for the Deep South, which— as he explained to his raptly intrigued audience— included Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and, of course, Texas.

"He just asked us to watch you and— I quote— _make sure that leech leaves you alone_." She looked sheepish as she said the words, and she really had no idea what she was saying. She thought leech was just a general derogatory term, not one that really had grounds. My eyes darted to Jasper's. He glanced quickly back down to Chase who was telling him in detail about a trip he made to Austin with his band and how cool he thought Texas was.

I attempted to burn Jake's back with the intensity of my glare. It wasn't his business if Jasper and I happened to be in the same establishment and Jasper happened to be friends with some of my friends. We'd all gone to Forks High after all. It wasn't that weird for us to be in the same group of people. Except—he was a vampire, and told me a group of them are out to kill me, and that my ex, his brother, left me. But other than that…

"Bella?" Angela started softly, interrupting my inner monologue.

"Yeah, Ang?"

"Ignore Jacob." She added with a smirk that I had to laugh at.

The night continued in a much similar fashion. With the guys competing with each other to see who could get alcohol poisoning first, Jasper oddly enough in the mix, and Jacob and his posse glaring from his station at the bar and Angela, me and, miracle of all miracles, a tipsy Lauren joking about the guys.

Someone had attempted some Lil' Wayne, 'A Milli' 'I will always love you,' earned some sympathetic embarrasment from me, and there was a rousing rendition of 'Beat It'. The karaoke got progressively worse as the night wore on and the glass bottles behind the bar emptied.

The crowd began to thin as the burly bartender yelled "Last Call!"

The guys groaned. Their glazed eyes were intently focused on Jasper, as they drunkenly demanded to hear more of his stories passed down from his great great grandfather, of course, about the Civil War— Bloody tales of gallantry and southern pride. I, myself, couldn't help but get caught up by his silver-tongued saga.

"They were the last hope of the Confederacy. The supply lines cut off, the army starving to death, and freezing on the battlefield, and they broke through the blockades to..."

"Alright…" Angela interrupted, her motherly tone taking over. The bartender was sending us annoyed glares and stacking stools loudly. "Who drove you guys, Chase?" Chase clapped his brother on the back.

"Lauren can you get the three of them home?" Angela asked as Lauren nodded.

"Ben, you live right down the street from me, I've got you." Angela told him, then turned her wide brown eyes on Jasper.

"Jasper, how did you get here?" He stared at her for a second, his face void of emotion. My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, wondering what was going on in his head.

"My bike." He stated softly. I wondered again what was going on with him, but looked back to Angela to see if she was going to offer to drive him home.

"Bella, you know how to drive motorcycles. You take him and his bike back. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you returned it tomorrow. I'll come by and we'll get it all sorted out when everyone is sober." She laughed and headed towards the door.

"No. It's fine. I'm fine." He protested glancing at my face. My mouth was hanging open ready to protest also.

"Don't be silly. You've had more to drink than anyone. You'll get yourself killed or kill someone else. Don't argue." She added with a dark laugh. She held her palm out, demanding his keys. He relinquished a small black key that she immediately handed to me and continued towards the door the rest of the clan in tow. I stepped after her towards the parking lot.

"Ang. I can't. My skirt." I protested, the others listening in.

"Really? Gosh. I have some yoga pants in my car. You can pull them on under it. You're such a girl sometimes to not be girly at all." I didn't know whether to be offended or not but I just nodded.

We reached the parking lot as the others filed away to their respective rides, Tyler, Ben and Chase competing to see who could scream their own rendition of Sweet Home Alabama, which they changed to Sweet Home _Texas_ in Jasper's honor, the loudest. Lauren merely laughed. I followed Angela, carefully pulled up the pants so as not to expose myself to the departing drunks. I gave Angela an uncertain smile; she just laughed again and climbed in the car.

"Call me in the morning." She added before slamming her door and backing out.

I turned to see Jasper just exiting the building, wearing a worn leather jacket I hadn't seen him with before. He motioned toward the bike I had noticed earlier.

I watched as he stumbled over his own feet while walking in front of me, and felt the frown crease my brow in response.

"'Night Stanley!" Someone called from a truck near the door. Jasper turned and waved enthusiastically. I wasn't even going to try to figure that one out.

"G'night Henry." He called, waving, and nearly fell face forward as he tripped over one of those yellow parking barriers.

_What the hell? _I thought, curious about his strange behavior all night.

"You can stop pretending now." I reminded, walking over behind him.

"Pretendin'?" He continued pretending, and turned to look at me with those striking ocher eyes. They all but glowed in the darkness.

"To be drunk. Are you going to have to hack all that up later?" I questioned, pausing in front of the motorcycle and looking up at him. I hadn't realized until I was right next to him, just how much taller than me he was--I had to crane my neck to look into his face when we stood this closely.

He pulled it off his jacket as he noticed me trembling and wrapped it around my shoulders without a word. I nodded in thanks.

"'Dward never told you we kin drink? Well… _he_ never drank I guess. Straightedge. Solids are downright nasty, but liquids, they're just fine." He finished with a shrug.

"So you're really drunk?" I questioned, still confused. He could drink alcohol… and it affected him? Why didn't I know that?

"There's a lot you don' know 'bout us, Bella." He added softly, almost in response to my line of thought.

So if he was really drunk…

"Why aren't you with the Cullens, Jasper?" I asked, praying that he was actually drunk and I would be able to get some questions answered here.

He face changed. Emotion he rarely let get to his face, contorted it in some variant of pain.

"Don' talk about 'em." He ordered.

"You haven't answered any of my questions. Please just tell me."

He laughed. Yep, laughed. I know. I was lost too.

"You're sneaky." He wagged a finger at me as if scolding me. I sighed in frustration and turned to the task at hand.

"Holy Hell. This is a Ducati." I felt my eyes bug as I saw the bold lettered emblem on the side. "A Ducati Desmosedici RR." I finished reverently, recognizing it instantly from Jake's motorcycle USA magazines.

"You knew that?" he questioned furrowing his brow and grinning. My eyes went to his dimple.

"Sure. Anyone who has ever seen a motorcycle magazine knows that. And that they are rare and… ahem… expensive." I couldn't help but stare at the gleaming black streamlined frame of the bike. It was amazing. And I was about to drive a piece of machinery that cost more than Charlie's house.

"You're goin' to have to tell me when I kin think straight how you know so much about bikes."

I nodded, wondering if it would be another few weeks before I'd see him again. It was likely, or he could just up and leave altogether. Who knew how long one of the Cullens would stick around? Until he got bored, or decided he didn't care if his hypothetical vampires killed me or not.

"Sorry I don't have a helmet." He apologized as I swung a leg over the bike and stuck the key in.

"Oh. Well I'm going to be really careful anyway. I would be more afraid of wrecking this than hurting myself… or you." I laughed looking back at him and waiting for him to climb on.

"Worry 'bout hurtin' you please." He ordered as soberly as he could manage. He looked so wholly concerned and sincere.

I stared at him, trying to read what that weird emotion was in his eyes. I had seen it that night he came over in the rain. I had seen it that day he pulled me out of the truck. I had seen it the night the whole family was on the run from James and Victoria. I didn't know what to make of it.

"K, well you're going to have to get on at some point." I added dryly.

He looked… reluctant.

"Uh… is it… I mean, I guess I should have made sure it was ok with you before I drove it. If you want I can call Angela to come back... I…" I stammered, suddenly wondering if I was making him uncomfortable, or if it was hard for him to be so close to me, or… if drinking made it harder for him to control himself. I should have been afraid, but I couldn't be right then. He had been nothing but normal all night.

"No, uh, it's ok." He hesitated then slid on behind me, the bike sinking under his weight. He didn't touch me, and I imagined his enormous frame must have looked funny perched on the very back of the already small bike.

"You're going to have to hang on." I added, wondering if it was a horrible idea for me to allow him so close, but I couldn't muster up the fear I usually had around him. He really had seemed so harmless all night.

I stared at the hand controls, confused by the many levers and knobs. The bike I had learned on had been simple, cheap and Japanese. This was complex, very very expensive and Italian. Not exactly the same. He leaned forward then, reading my confusion and pulled his arm out in front of us to show me the handles.

"Gas, break, gears." He pointed out. I shivered as his cold chest grazed my back, and he shrugged away again.

"Thanks." I added, settling my hands over the handles and standing to kick up the kickstand. I tried, but with his weight on it, it wasn't budging. He seemed to notice what I was trying to do after a second and after a couple of tries on his— oddly enough— drunken, part we were ready to go.

"I'm not kidding. You're going to have to hold on, or I might accidentally throw you off." He hesitated again, and then as I revved the purring Italian engine, he wrapped his arms about my waist and I felt his firm chest pressing against my back. I fought the urge to shiver again, and pressed the gas what I thought was softly. We jerked forward, and both nearly flew off the back, but he reflexively responded and grabbed the handlebars to prevent that from happening.

"Easy there." He laughed, and settled his cold hand over mine to help me push the gas down softly. I wanted to jerk it away, but refrained.

"Maybe you should be driving." I said self-consciously.

"I think I drank a whole bottle of tequila ta'night. It's good yer drivin'. I can't git hurt, but I could hurt someone else." He added very seriously. I felt the corner of my mouth lift, yet again in response to his drawl and pulled out onto the highway.

It seemed odd to me, that someone with so much power, with such awesome strength would care in such a silly situation about human life. I made up my mind as I thought on that; he most certainly wasn't responsible for killing anyone, at least not in the context of these murders. If he was really a cold-blooded killer, would he care about something as trivial as killing someone in a wreck?

_I don't think so._

I shivered beneath the warmth of his jacket as the frigid air tried to rip the skin off my face and hands.

He tightened his arms around my waist, and I wished he were warm.

The miles passed in silence and I thought I felt him rest his face against the back of my head, but as quickly as I'd felt it, it was gone. So I wasn't sure. Did vampires pass out when they drank too much? Who knew?

I wound around the curvy road back towards Forks. The trees seemed to bow forward toward the road as we passed beneath their shadows cast by the rare glow of the moon. I felt oddly exposed as we raced through the woods, like the moon was following us like a spotlight.

I knew the city limit sign was just beyond the next zigzag in the road, and I couldn't wait to get home. I was numb from the cold, and Jasper had slumped against me somewhere a few miles back. His chest weighing heavily against my back, and his head resting against the top of my head. He must have been slumped forward uncomfortably. He was heavy, and I wondered if he was ok. As we rounded the curve, I blinked trying to clear my burning eyes because I thought I saw the silhouette of a figure standing in the road.

I slowed reflexively, squinting through the darkness until the headlights shone on the figure illuminating a shock of fiery red hair.

*

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So I have to thank my commenters… commentators… comment-leavers. Reading them kept me from trying to just quit this story. I love it-- almost as much as I love Jasper-- but life gets in the way! Anyway, thanks for all the comments and please leave some feedback on this one, I know it deviates a bit from the style of the others, it reflected my frustration with the angst, and I think Bella and Jasper just needed a tad bit of fun and light-hearted normalcy too.

So, I am curious. What would you guys have sung for karaoke... or better yet, what would you have Jasper sing?


	12. Hide

Aren't you all so proud of me? This is out really fast for me. Ok, it's a bit shorter, but that's because I wrote out this entire scene and the subsequent scenes (I know, get excited) and it was like 60,000 words. haha. So, I am breaking these down into shorter chapters, but good news, you will be getting them much much much more quickly... well if you give me some incentive. What can I say, I love your reviews. You guys are pretty amazing. I like to hear what your favorite parts are, your predictions, or your epiphanies. Dive in.

_-_

_--_

_where are we?_

_what the hell is going on?_

_the dust has only just begun to form_

_crop circles in the carpet_

_sinking feeling_

_spin me round again_

_and rub my eyes,_

_this can't be happening_

_--_

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_BPOV_

"No." My mouth formed the word without the permission of my shocked mind.

The moment drug to a crawl, the seconds coming more slowly. Trees in my peripheral slowed in passing, the glowing yellow stripes on the asphalt ticked the tense seconds, my hair billowed in slow waves in the bitter cold wind, murmuring maddening white noise in my ears.

For that moment my headlight shone like a spotlight through the pitch-darkness, only interrupted by pale blue bars of the moon through the canopy of intertwined branches overhead. Up ahead in the distance her tendrils of blazing hair, like embers snaking through the wind, searching for the next thing to consume, were illuminated by my spotlight. Fiery Medusa. There was no mistaking that hair.

_Victoria._

Formulating her name in my mind brought me back up to speed. I gasped, realizing I'd been holding my breath, and sealed my eyes shut for the briefest of seconds, begging them to clear from the wind induced tears dragging mascara through them.

When I snapped them open again, she was gone. Like a ghost—a specter straight from the nightmares my mind erased each morning.

I searched the road up ahead frantically, and then the sidelines. My breaths came in jagged gasps. I saw no trace of her.

_Did I just completely dream her up?_

The part of my mind that had been controlling my thoughts the past few weeks, since all of this had begun, screamed to take over again.

_She wasn't real. She's not here. Jasper was lying._

But the rational side of my mind, the part that had known all along Jasper had been right, was fighting for control.

_She's here. They're here. He was right._

Panic encroached.

_What am I going to do? Charlie. Renee. What am I going to do?_

Steely thighs tightened around me, and arms banded with taut muscle contracted around my waist. The weight lifted from my shoulders_._

_I'm not alone._

For that brief moment, I'd forgotten I wasn't alone in all this mess. Someone else would understand.

"_Jasper…" _I did my best to yell into the wind.

"_Hmm_?" he sounded so infuriatingly oblivious— and strangely happy.

_Did he just sniff me?_

"I— I think I just saw Victoria…" My voice trembled as I twisted my neckback, trying to make it easier for him to hear, then remembered he had superman hearing and it was only making it harder for_ me to drive._

"Victoria? What?" he mumbled, sounding utterly confused.

"In— in the road." The terror crept back up as I voiced my strange sighting. I edged the gas down.

"You sure?" an involuntary laugh at his 'sure' coming out more like 'shore' tickled my throat but I was afraid if I started to laugh I wouldn't stop.

"I don' think she'd just park herself out in the middle of the road. Seems kinda dumb ta me." He sounded amused as he leaned in to speak into my ear. I suppressed a shudder as his breath tickled my ear. It actually seemed warm compared to the icy bite of the wind.

"No, I'm not sure." I snapped. "But I have to get home right now." I finished pointedly, pressing the accelerator down until we were flying at a speed that normally would have had my stomach doing flip-flops and begging to be emptied on the side of the road. But now, all I wanted was to be off of this road and in my house, safe and sound and…

I trembled with fear and anger and the sting of the cold night. My heart fought against my ribs, drowning in adrenaline. The emblazoned glow of her long, wild hair was burned in my retinas. I thought back to the time Jasper had told me someone might want me dead, I'd tried to think of who would think I was worth killing, I hadn't thought of Victoria. She was definitely someone who would want me dead, for very good reason. I was the reason the love of her life was dead. I hadn't thought about her in so long. I'd purposely locked that away with the memories of the Cullens.

I felt him shift; he pulled closer against me, his chest flush against my back, my hips pulled tightly between his legs. I tensed, wondering what the hell he was doing. He slid his hands quickly from their place at my stomach under the sides of my shirt and his cool hands made contact with my warm skin. Fire and ice. I shivered.

Instantly I slipped into a calm fog. My mind letting go of the fear and slipping into a strange sense of well-being. The frown melted from my face, leaving it as blank as my emotional palette.

I pulled through the silent streets, thinking about those blissfully unaware of the things that really went bump in the night, sleeping peacefully in their beds.

My house was dark and I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut down the roar of the expensive bike behind the cruiser.

_They're here. They're safe._

Jasper climbed off, looking a little awkward, which was strange for me to watch. They were all always so perfectly graceful usually, his blundering would have been endearing if the panic wasn't once again seizing my stomach and wringing.

I ran across the lawn, past Jasper, intently focused on putting one foot in front of the other. My tiny heel caught on a loose board. I stumbled up onto the porch, probably flashing Jasper in that ridiculous skirt, but I didn't care. I needed inside. I needed to see Charlie's worried brow, and Renee's wide eyes that matched mine.

"Bella.." I heard Jasper behind me, his muted tone meant to induce caution.

I fell against the front door, beating when it was locked. I scrambled looking for my handbag… it was gone. Had I left it at the bar? I fumbled with the doorknob, jerking on it, and stepping back to remember where Charlie had hidden the key. My hands groped, trembling around the doorframe. I flipped the green welcome mat.

_Bella, really…He'd know better than to hide it th—_

I jumped out of my skin at the deafening crash of splintering wood_._

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_(This part takes place right before Rosalie's conversation with Alice where she was afraid she'd said too much)_

_RosaliePOV_

_Caution: when I'm pissed, words that I didn't use in front of Edward's little human with little virgin ears tend to come out._

"Alright, this is just weird. What are we doing here?" I busted through the door of his office.

"Alice is going ballistic, you and Carlisle are acting like nerds at a chessboard, and everyone else is scratching their heads trying to figure out WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" He smirked at me further enraging me, and spurring me on. I folded my arms across my chest, tapping my foot, waiting for an answer.

_Shit. Did they know about Alice? Are they supposed to know about Alice?_

"You send us some kind of little note, that everyone gets all weird about, we fly across the world to come here and then you just tell us not to leave this weird, castle-like place, refuse to let us eat animals or tell us anything. If we're here for a trial, let's get on with it. If you're just going to kills us, grow some balls and do it. If you want something, you might as well ask and then get on with plan B."

He seemed so thoroughly amused by me. It infuriated me to no end. I wanted to leap over his stupid desk and wipe that smirk off his ancient chicken-lips. What did he need a desk for anyway? What kind of paperwork does a vampire mastermind do?

"You're here for your trial, yes. But it's about more than that dear, Rosalie. You see, you are all pretty valuable. You're close-knit, and all very gifted."

"So?" I spat at him. It was pretty widely accepted that we, the Cullens, were close, and formidable. Don't fuck with them, tended to be the general motto of the rest of the vampire world.

"So, I you need to take your proper place here."

_He needs a good ass-kicking…_

"What the hell? Our proper place here? I don't know what you're on dipshit, but we don't belong here. And last I checked we had rights. We're not owned by you. You can't just make us do whatever you want. And truth be told, I'd rather die than be under your thumb," I glared up at him, letting every ounce of my hatred for him burn through my gaze.

"I know," he looked smug.

"Then… what the fuck are we still doing here?"

"Language child."

"Don't child me. What are we doing here?"

"You're waiting for Mr. Whitlock, or is it Hale?" Aro stared condescendingly down at me.

"You're waiting for him to get here to have the trial?"

"Yes." He answered calmly, his long spidery fingers tented beneath his chin.

"He doesn't even know he's supposed to be in Voltera. He knows nothing about all of this." I was a good liar. It wasn't difficult.

"Don't lie to me little girl. I know more than you think."

_Shit. He knows._

"Well, even if he did know he was supposed to be here, what if he doesn't show? Are we just going to be locked in our rooms like petulant children until you decide to let us out? Hell no. This is ridiculous, and like I said, we have rights. I doubt the rest of the vampire world would like to hear how you've stripped us of our rights and are holding us against our will."

_Shit. Did I just give him away?_

"I'm sure the rest of the vampire world would love to hear, that you all, who have rejected the normal lifestyle, are revealing their secret to humans." He grinned then, knowing he'd won.

"_So, that's it. We just wait?"_

"Don't worry. We're on it. He'll be here soon enough. And most likely your little human too…"

_All along I'd known it was a bad-fucking-idea to humor Edward's ridiculous infatuation with that human. But did anyone listen to me? Nooooo. No one listens to Rosalie. I'm just the bitch who doesn't want anyone to be happy right? Well I knew what I was talking about, and all this shit is her fault. HER FUCKING FAULT. If they're just listened to me in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation now would we? No. But the thing is… I don't feel any better being right._

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_REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! And you'll get a new chapter so very very soon!!_


	13. And Seek

Rather than working on the research paper I have due Tuesday and the midterm I have tomorrow, I decided I care much more about my crazy little world that revolves around Jasper and Bella, and _y'all. _I was planning on this coming out later in the week, but because you all left me so much love, here you are!!! Next update sometime later in the week! Exciting huh? Next update will shed some light on the strange, confusing things happening with the Cullens. I cross my heart and hope to die; there _IS_ a method to the madness. It all is for a reason!!! ENJOY!

_-_

_--_

_This can't be happening_

_When busy streets a mess with people_

_Would stop to hold their heads heavy_

_Oily marks appear on walls_

_Where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,_

_The sweeping insensitivity of this still life_

_Hide and seek…_

_Blood and tears _

_They were here first_

_--_

_-_

_Jasper POV_

_thud. thud. thud. Thud. ..THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD_

I breathed in deeply, wondering whose heart was hammering in my ears. The faint aroma of freesia, and strawberry and— I inhaled again— faintly through the static came fear.

"Jasper…" she stated, rather than asked.

_Bella._

She smelled so good. So horribly and wonderfully good.

"Hmmm?" I inhaled the ripened strawberries from her hair. My mind was a nice fog of her sweet scent and little else. My throat roared, reminding me I hadn't fed.

"I— I think I just saw Victoria…" She stammered, twisting her face to the side. Her profile illuminated by the glow of the moon.

_She's warm, and small, and I could probably snap her spine by just tightening my arms too much, and she smells like a summer field of wildflowers and wild strawberries and—wow That didn't sound gay at all Jasper… whoa whoa wait what?_

"_Victoria? _What?" I questioned, utterly confused.

"In— in the road." Her voice was washed in terror.

_Victoria?_ _How— why— what?_

"You sure?" I drawled, thinking it had to be a mistake.

Victoria? Hadn't Edward taken care of Victoria? Carlisle told me that was where Edward had gone. I felt her stomach tighten strangely beneath my fist.

"I don' think she'd just park herself out in the middle of the road. Seems kinda dumb to me." I tried to keep my voice light, but her tenseness remained. We jerked backwards as she pushed the bike harder.

"No. I'm not sure. But I have to get home."

_THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD_

Her heart hammered her ribs. A thought occurred to me, and the filter that would have told me not to try it on any other occasion was absent. I pulled her against me, and felt her tense. I released my fist that I was clasping with my other hand at her middle and slid both hands to her sides and under her shirt and my jacket, making contact with her bare skin. My icy fingertips ghosted across the fire of her skin. I felt her tense and shiver.

I easily zeroed in through the haywire static to her emotion, her fear, twisting it and bending it under my will as I always had with everyone else— effortlessly. I instantly calmed her down, her heartbeat slowing, and her breathing evening.

It was strange, as soon as I made contact with her skin, the mad buzz of her emotions, like white noise, seemed to focus and tune into a wave I could read, could manipulate.

_Interesting…_

We stopped in her driveway, and I climbed off, realizing just how impaired I was. I watched her leap off and scurry away, tripping over herself and assaulting her front door with her tiny, angry fists. I stared at her, thinking she looked like an angry kitten.

I felt a strange electricity glide across my skin. The air was charged with something I should have been able to name.

"Bella…" I cautioned. Something was amiss and if my head could just clear, I could figure it out. She fumbled around, I assumed looking for a key.

Then I heard the sound of feet scurrying inside.

I didn't think. I don't remember deciding to kick down the door Chuck Norris style, but the next instant I was rushing through confetti of wood splinters, and the door went spiraling into the darkness to crash against a wall with a thud.

I glanced around the darkened room, and my eyes locked on the shiny double barrels of a shotgun.

"Move and I'll shoot!" came the gruff voice of none other than the Chief.

"Uh… I …" I stammered, wondering why exactly I had overreacted so extremely. I just kicked in the Chief of Police's front door— for no reason.

_Good job, Jasper. Maybe lay off the booze for awhile…_

"Dad?" Bella came barreling around me, throwing her arms around her dad's waist. He lowered the gun as her shoulders collided with his chest.

"Bells? You ok?" His murderous gaze snapped up to mine, accusing, with his finger still on the trigger of the lowered rifle.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine…" she looked awkward then, pulling away from him and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Dad, you remember Jasper…" she stated softly.

I nodded towards him in acknowledgement feeling completely awkward.

He was sizing me up, judging, gauging. Wondering why the hell I'd just busted down his front door at 2 a.m.

"Bella?" The voice of a woman sounded across the room. My gaze snapped up to meet the wide brown eyes of Bella's mother. She looked really pleased to see me.

And she was.

I turned my attention back to Charlie.

"Chief… I'm…"

"Why exactly did you just kick in my front door, son?" He folded his arms, the gun still in hand, and his voice took on the commanding lilt of the Chief of Police.

"Well… you see…" What was I supposed to say?

_Yeah, so this crazed vampire might be out for your daughter and we thought we just saw her standing in the middle of the highway and I thought maybe she was killing you, so I busted through your door. _

Right.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I thought I saw a prowler outside, and Jasper was just worried about you and Mom. I thought I heard something, and when you didn't open the door right away…"

_Good save, Bella. Thanks._

Charlie didn't look convinced.

"I heard all that racket, and didn't recognize the sound of the motorcycle, I thought some kids were breaking in or something…" Charlie explained, irritated.

"I'm sorry. I'll pay for a new door."

He nodded.

"You're into heroics, huh?" He chuckled a bit, running his hand over his day-old beard.

"Uh, not really. I've just kind of been in the right place, or in this case the wrong place, at the right time." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Alright, well, I'll see you later." I nodded to Bella; she looked upset still, and… something else I couldn't put my finger on.

I nodded then to the Chief, then Bella's mom in the doorway.

She was grinning at me, her eyes twinkling. She looked at me knowingly. I had no clue why.

I gave her a tight smile in return and headed back out.

I heard Charlie questioning Bella as soon as I walked over the threshold.

"I thought you went out with Angela, Bella. What were you doing out with him?"

I straddled the bike, staring up at the dark sky for a moment. It was clear for once, and pierced with hundreds of stars.

_Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?_ I asked the sky.

I started the bike with a roar, and pulled out of the driveway as Bella's dad was setting the broken front door back in the hole of the doorway.

_BellaPOV_

"I thought you went out with Angela, Bella. What were you doing out with him?"

"Dad, I just ran into him while we were out. He offered to drive me home. That's it." Charlie stared down at me; his eyes hard and full of resentment for the way Edward had left me.

"Charlie, leave her alone. She's a kid. Let her have her fun." Renee spoke up, walking towards us.

"Renee, you weren't here when that _other_ Cullen boy left. I can't stand the thought of someone else doing that to her." Charlie snapped, his eyes pleading with Renee.

"Dad." I put my hand on his, pulling the gun out of his hand.

It felt vulgar and heavy in my hands. I remembered the one time Charlie had tried to teach me to shoot it. The _only _time Charlie had tried to teach me to shoot it. I set it on the coffee table, engaging the safety.

"Charlie, really? She had a broken heart. Every woman in the world has had one horrible breakup. It's part of growing up. You have to let her move on." Charlie grumbled, the way fathers do, as Renee came and put her arm around him.

He nodded as she rested her forehead against his chin. I felt weird seeing my parents share such an intimate moment. They stayed like that for a second. I stared at the floor. I still wasn't used to this shift in their relationship. He stepped away from her and went for the door, placing the remnant back over the threshold.

I wished Jasper hadn't left. He'd looked reluctant to leave, and I wished again that he hadn't. Thinking I'd seen Victoria completely unnerved me. The feel of his arms around me in that horrible moment when I thought I had seen her was such a comfort, a strange, twisted comfort. I shook my head, trying to release such thoughts.

"Bella, let's go to bed, you look absolutely exhausted." Renee pushed the loose wisps of hair from my face and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. She ushered me towards Charlie's room that we had been sharing.

"Night Charlie." She called over her shoulder.

"Night girls. Lock the bedroom door since this one won't lock now."

I sighed as she closed the door behind us, clicking the lock. I heard Charlie on the stairs, squeaking as he slowly made his way back up. I hoped he'd picked up his gun— even though I wasn't sure if it was of any use against the foe I feared.

"Nice outfit." Renee commented with appreciation and pulled the covers up while I pulled off Jasper's jacket. I stared at it for a second. The leather was soft and buttery, but worn. I wondered how long he'd had it. I paused as a delicious, familiar scent came off it. It smelled like pine, and musk, and man.

"Was it a date, Bella?"

I rolled my eyes as I unzipped the skirt letting it fall to the floor, slid down Angela's skin-tight yoga pants, and pulled the top up over my head.

"No, Mom. It wasn't a date. I went out with Angela, and some of the guys had been in Jasper's class in high school. They all sang karaoke and made complete fools of themselves." I laughed remembering the night. It had actually been fun, before Victoria made her appearance whether real or imagined.

"Oooh. He sings?" She squealed, earning another eye roll from me. I nodded, remembering the husky timbre of his voice. Goosebumps I blamed on the cold inched across my skin.

"Where is he from, Bella? That accent is absolutely delicious." She looked like a thirteen-year-old at a sleep over with her excited eyes peaking at me from over the covers.

"Renee." I snapped, hoping I could make her stop. He absolutely enthralled every woman he met didn't he?

I pulled an oversized t-shirt over my head, not bothering with sweat pants and climbed in beside her. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, but I wanted to pretend so Renee would stop talking about Jasper.

"Was that his motorcycle?" she questioned over my shoulder.

I feigned sleep, hoping she'd stop.

"Bella! Was that his?" she persisted, more adamantly, in the classic, shout-whisper I remembered from adolescent sleepovers.

"YES!" I barked.

I rolled back over, my ears prickling at the crunching of leaves on the lawn through the crisp quiet of the night. Usually there was the soft drum of the rain, but since there was no rain, every noise seemed particularly acute.

"You love motorcycles don't you? And, that leather jacket, it looked expensive. That was his right? He's a gentleman too…" She went on like that, making assumptions and musing about him. I tried to ignore her, straining to hear outside.

I heard a soft thumping against the side of the house.

I sat bolt upright in bed, startling Renee.

"Bella, what…"

"SHHHHHHHHH!" I silenced her. I felt my eyes widen, my heart beating in my stomach.

I listened to the thumping, and then a loud creak.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!" I heard Charlie yell, and then the deafening crack of the gun.

_**(I was going to leave it here and split this up, but because I have been so evil with some of the cliffhangers, I decided to leave it. Enjoy the gift. **__****__** )**_

_JasperPOV_

I made it halfway through town.

I paused at the stupid red light. No matter how I rationalized and reasoned with myself, I couldn't shake that feeling that Bella had been right, that Victoria was here, or at least that some danger was looming on the horizon. I made a U-turn at the one stoplight that always seemed to be red for me.

Not wanting to pull the _creepy-stalker-sit-and-watch-you _kind of crap that Edward used to pull, was foremost in my mind, but at the same time, I had to know she was safe— because I'd promised Edward she would be safe—and I couldn't exactly walk back into her house, not with the Chief and his Remington.

I parked in front of The Fork, and dismounted, before breaking into a run back towards her place. I heard the crack of a rifle through the crisp night air.

_Shit. _

_BellaPOV_

"CHARLIE!" I screamed and bolted from the bed, practically threw the door off its hinges and charged the stairs.

I don't know what I was expecting I could do, but I didn't think of that then.

"Charlie!" I screamed again, and burst through the door to my room.

"Bella, get back!" He ordered, the gun trained for the second time that night on a figure at the window. I noted the drywall on the floor and then found the hole in the ceiling.

_Warning shot._

My eyes fought the darkness to distinguish the figure kneeling on the floor. I let the panic abate a bit since it didn't have monstrous red hair and appeared to be a large man rather than a woman.

"What happened?" I questioned, waiting for Charlie to fill me in on what had happened.

"I was trying to see you, Bella."

"Jake?" Couldn't he take a hint? Leave me alone, usually means, _leave me the hell alone_.

"Yes. I got a bad feeling after you left with that…" His eyes darted to Charlie, remembering the ignorance of his audience, "…with _him._ And came after you. I didn't want to wake everyone up, so I was just going to climb up and make sure you were ok."

"Good God, Jake. Dad put the gun down. Yes, put it down. What were you thinking, Jacob? I told you to leave me alone. I told you to back off." I chastised, planting my hands on my hips. Renee stood in the doorway behind me, her and Charlie exchanging looks. Probably silently asking each other what was up with me and men that liked breaking and entering.

"I know, Bella. But…" he hesitated, quirking his head to the side as if listening for something outside intently.

"What? Did you hear something?" I questioned, as he rose from his knees and peered out the window.

He cast me a sidelong glance as I came up next to him at the window, scanning the tree line.

"Did something happen tonight? You look panicked." He added softly so only I could hear. I glanced behind me to see Renee and Charlie staring at us in confusion.

"Bells, what's going on? This is the second time…" He just sounded weary, past being annoyed or even angry.

I glanced back at him shrugging apologetically and then leaning in to whisper to Jake again.

"I thought I saw Victoria earlier, but then she was gone." I heard my voice shaking, I was actually thankful then for Jacob's presence.

"Victoria? Who's Victoria, Bella?" Charlie demanded, shifting the gun to his other hand so he could wrap an arm around Renee.

"Victoria? The red-head who was with the sadistic one who tried to kill you?" Jacob asked loudly.

_Great. Thanks Jake._

I snapped my eyes up to Charlie's. His eyes were on my scar.

I nodded in response to Jake.

"Bella, explain." Charlie's voice was strained, his eyes tight. Renee was glancing back and forth between us both quickly.

"I can't." I admitted truthfully.

"You can't? I'm your father, Bella. I have a right to know what's going on."

He was right. He did. But I couldn't tell him the truth… could I?

"Is that what that scar is from? That crescent shaped scar that I've been seeing on victim after victim out of Tacoma and Seattle?"

I glanced up at Jake. He shrugged, telling me to just tell them.

_They'll never believe me. And how much to tell?_

"Dad… Mom… What I'm about to say will sound absolutely insane, and I can't even tell you everything because I'm in trouble for knowing the very things that you want me to tell you." They stared at me incredulously.

"You're right, Dad. This is the same scar you've been seeing, and it wasn't made by a razor blade. The only reason I'm alive right now is because of the Cullens…"

"The only reason you were in that mess what because of them…"

I inhaled sharply, my eyes darting up to warn Jacob he better keep his mouth shut or some of his secrets might be revealed too.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with the Cullens? What made it, Bella?"

_Tell them. Don't tell them. Tell them. Don't tell them._

"Teeth."

"What?" Charlie looked at me skeptically, like maybe he was questioning my sanity. He glanced up at Jacob who only nodded in confirmation.

"I can't explain everything. Please, I'll be downstairs and explain as much as I can to you in a minute. Please." I pleaded as Charlie tried to protest, but then just nodded and ushered a horrified Renee downstairs.

"It _is _the Cullens fault all of this is happening to you." Jacob had to add.

"No it's not Jake. I made choices that led to things that happened, just as you have made choices that have led to mistakes that have been made…" I watched his eyes dart to my scars.

He nodded, and looked at the floor.

"So what are you going to do now? Run?"

"I don't know." I answered truthfully.

He eyed me up and down, noticing what I was wearing for the first time.

"Nice outfit." The corner of his mouth lifted.

"Shut…"

I gasped when I saw them enter the clearing, circling each other.

"Oh hell." He muttered, staring down at them from our aerial view.

A volcanic eruption of frizz was circling one very tall, muscular, Texan.

_JasperPOV_

I ran through the woods until I reached the edge of her clearing. I listened intently only to hear the calm muted voices of a man and girl— Bella. Ok, so maybe the gunshot had been an accident. It sounded like everyone was alive and calm— yep three, no wait four heartbeats. Who was the fourth?

"Hey, handsome. Miss me?"

I spun to meet her beady red eyes.

"Don't worry. The others are hot on my heels. They'll be here any minute." She added, assessing me as I assessed her.

"Victoria…"

There was nothing beautiful about this woman, maybe she had blemish free porcelain skin, and a statuesque body that the food-deprived crack whores who walk runways would kill each other for, but there was nothing beautiful about her. She was hard where women should be soft, she was calculating and cold, where women should be wise and warm.

She sniffed the air.

"Hmmm, reverting back to our Mexican roots are we? Tequila?" She mused stepping towards me. My back straightened, my arms locked across my chest. She eyed me.

"What do you want, Victoria?"

"What do I want? What a complex question…" she mused twiddling a piece of her hair between her fingers. "I want a lot of things Mr. Cullen… Power, Money, Fame, a delicious Texan on a platter, Bella Swan." She chuckled to herself, a grating obnoxious laugh. "I think you can help me out with at least those last two."

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. She knew the reason I was here. She knew I was here to keep anyone from getting to Bella.

"Why do you care about that scrawny little human? Come back with me. I'll tell the Order you helped and Aro will forget about killing you like he did the Cullens."

It felt like she'd reached into my chest and dug her claws into my heart.

I knew they were probably going to be killed. I knew, but hearing that it had actually happened, hearing their name on this woman's lips, it made it all horribly real for the first time.

She was speaking, but I heard none of it.

_They're gone. They're really gone._ My mind screamed over and over.

_Get a grip, Jasper. You knew this was going to happen. Focus. You're here for them, to take care of Bella._

My mind focused back into whatever she was babbling on about.

"…It's ridiculous. You could have any woman in the world, any _vampire_ woman in the world, and here you are, sitting outside this girl's window. What gives?"

What? How did the conversation shift to my choice of company so quickly?

"She's innocent." I snapped, feeling fiercely protective of Bella, my sole purpose. "She's done nothing to deserve your wrath." I don't know why I bothered arguing with her. I knew it would ultimately end in a fight, and I welcomed it.

"Innocent, huh? So she doesn't know about us? She doesn't know we're vampires? She isn't the reason your group of vampires killed another vampire?" Victoria added sardonically.

"You're here for blood. Let's just get on with it." I shifted my weight back into my heels ready to counter a strike as she sank to her crouch.

"Gladly."

I sent a few rounds of various emotions her way, hoping to throw her off. She let out an involuntary giggle.

"Fight fair, empath."

*** Long one, huh? I thought you all deserved it after my hiatus this summer. So how are you all feeling about Bella telling her parents? Or Victoria finally showing up? Or Jasper thinking the Cullens are dead. Next chapter some of the Cullens strange story will come together. And we'll figure out what all the craziness around Forks has been about, and maybe a few more revelations. Big things are happening!!! Hope you enjoyed it!!


	14. Goodbye

Hello my lovelies. Another chapter so soon. Happy day! Ok we'll get a few explanations, but this is really a two part revelation, so stay tuned. Next chapter should be quick. Enjoy!

_-_

_--_

_All I had to say is goodbye_

_We're better off this way_

_We're better off this way_

_And every, everything isn't only what it seems…_

_--_

_-_

_BellaPOV_

Walls—tight, close, confining. I watched in horror as Jasper caught Victoria by her hair and jerked her down. She snapped at his hand ferociously, then let out what she thought was a coy laugh rolling to get up.

"Jake…" I started staring down at the circling vampires. For some reason I thought of the wrestling shows Charlie watched sometimes on the flat screen when no 'real' sporting event was on to occupy his evenings. Victoria would have been one of those slutty girls who weren't really pretty so she had to sex it up to get the attention. Jasper, well he would have never been on WWE wearing spandex. Maybe I could see him jumping off a table, or crashing a chair over her head. I laughed, and Jake cut his eyes at me like he thought maybe I was losing it. Maybe I was.

"Jake…" I repeated, the seriousness coming back into my voice.

"I'm not going down there, Bella." He sounded appalled at the idea of helping Jasper do anything, or maybe he just didn't want to have to get that close to Victoria. I didn't blame him; she was a fearsome thing to behold.

But so was Jasper, his face calm, his movements lithe and calculated, his mind three steps ahead of hers.

"I wasn't going to ask you to." I stated decisively pressing my palm to the window, and leaning forward so my forehead almost rested against the pane. My eyes traced Jasper's calculated movements, skilled, decisive, and held-back. He was stalling.

_Please don't let her hurt him. Please don't let her hurt him. _

"What then?" He clipped, watching my breath fog the cold glass rather than watching the fight.

"My parents." I chanced a glance at him, from beneath my lashes, tearing my eyes from Jasper.

I watched realization dawn in his nearly black eyes that were the exact same color as his silky ponytail. He was frightening in the half-light. Strange moon-colored shadows cast across his ruddy skin and sharp angular features. I wanted to tremble. My mind wanted to race to the day he had hurt me, but I held it in the present moment.

"Please, Jake. Get them out of here. Fly somewhere. Tell them as little as possible, and make them safe. I have to make them safe." He searched my eyes, his softening from something he found there. He loomed over me, his body warming me, even from the distance between us.

"Sure, Bella. As long as you're on that plane too." He traced a burning finger down my jaw, and I wished it were cool. Like every time Jake touched me.

I shook my head, sadly.

"Bella. I can't leave you here." He was pleading. He'd already given in. He already knew what had to happen.

"Please." I begged, leaning into his hand caressing my cheek. I looked up at him, hoping he still had that impossibly weak spot for me.

I watched his jaw tighten and clench several times.

"Ok. But you have to promise me one thing." He ran his hand through my hair, pushing it back from my face.

"What?" I asked, my voice cracking over it. My mind was already racing ahead— telling my parents goodbye, watching them leave, facing this nightmare that has been chasing me for years.

"You won't get yourself killed… or fall in love with him." His tender touch turned rough. He gripped the side of my head tightly, staring intently into my eyes as he said the last part. His grip hurt.

"Ok. But that's two things." I agreed, both of us knowing there was no way I could promise… not to die.

I strained against his grip, my eyes searching out the window, needing to see that Jasper was all right. Victoria hissed, the animals of the night quieting in fear at the sound. I watched the dark hairs on Jacob's arm rise to stand on end, goose bumps following in a second wave. Jacob relinquished me, sighing. He crossed the floor, his huge shoulders looking too heavy for him.

"Are you going to say goodbye to them?" He questioned, looking back and watching the first tears well in my eyes. I nodded, padding along the worn floorboards after him.

_Don't let her hurt him. Don't let her hurt him. _

As Jake reached the bottom stair, I could see over him into the kitchen. My parents were pressed against the window, like boys at a peephole to the girl's locker room. Except, they were seeing something they didn't like. They were seeing something that terrified them. I imagined how strange it had to be for them to see Jasper out there tearing chunks of a wild woman's carrot top out while she would burst into bouts of grating laughter and sickening sobs.

_Empath fights dirty. _I thought, wanting to crack a smile at Jasper and his underhanded tactics.

Charlie was clutching the shiny black barrel of his rifle, and Renee was clutching Charlie by fistfuls of his flannel shirt. Her knuckles were white.

"Mom, Dad…" I began, feeling horribly uncertain, and terrified, and sure at the same time. They turned their wide eyes on me. I thought of Bambi caught in a pair of headlights. "I can't tell you everything tonight. Really, I can't tell you _anything_ tonight. But you must trust me, and do as I say." They didn't make any indication that they heard me.

"Jake is going to take you away. Somewhere you will be safe. I'll come get you when it's safe."

"What— what are you talking about Bella? What does all of this have to do with Dr. Cullen's family and that bite mark and…" Charlie was smart. He cared about me.

"Please. Just go." The tears spilled over then, fresh and burning and when I wiped them away they were black.

"Bella…" It cut me deeply to see Charlie look so small, so defeated, so lost.

"Let's go, Chief." Jacob used his _leader-of-the-pack_ persona that put Charlie's _Chief of Police_ one to shame. Charlie looked between us then gave in as Jake ushered him out, gripping his armed arm.

I followed them out the front door, our heads ducked like we were under an aerial raid rather than a ground assault. I hugged them both. Renee was rigid, and she shuddered each time Victoria cut through the night air with a keening scream or Jasper let out a guttural hiss.

"Baby, what are you going to do?" Renee whispered it into my hair her voice trembling.

"I'm not a baby." I insisted for the sake of the familiar then answered, "What I should have done a long time ago: Face my past." I whispered back, kissing her cheek and whispering how much I loved her against her ear. She cried when I shut the door. I pressed my palm to the glass where Charlie was seated in the front. I mouthed 'I love you' and he did the same. His eyes glistened, and his mustache twitched. Jake watched, his heart in his eyes. I watched them back out, turn the corner and disappear, my heart beating in my throat. My ribs shook with the force of each beat. I relished the feeling, because I didn't know if it would do that anymore when tonight was over.

I turned from the street staring in the direction of the violent sounds. The side of the house blocked them. I steeled myself, knowing what I had to do, drawing comfort from thoughts of whom I was protecting.

_*_

_*_

_*_

_AlicePOV_

"Carlisle, what is going on with me?" I stared up at him pleadingly. He'd told me he thought I was changing, or that maybe my ability was changing, but had offered little else. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes, which he could never deny.

"I can't say I really know." He was hedging, avoiding the puppy dog eyes. I knew that look on his face, when he knew much more than he was letting on.

"Well, I'm sure you have a guess." I pressed, watching his eyes flicker to Edward.

"Tell her what you told me, Carlisle." Edward interjected, offering me a weak smile. I returned it, but felt the confusion marring mine.

"I think you're seeing the past, Alice. I _really _don't know how, or why. It started once we got here, correct?" His face was composed into the mask he used for his doctor patient interactions.

"Yes, in the plane… well I think. It's so confusing…" I pressed my finger tips to my temples, sealing my eyes shut. I felt the strange pull at the back of my navel like I did each time I had a vision. I fought to stay in the present moment.

"Yes, understandably." He soothed, nodding. He waited a moment, for me to relax a bit before continuing.

"Sometimes, with humans, when they've repressed something or, when they have been conditioned to forget something, events will trigger their memory. Every event you've ever experienced is recorded in your mind. It's there, whether or not you can readily recall it. So, sometimes an event, a scent, a place, a person, will trigger those repressed memories. And since you're naturally prone to visions, I'd say that being here has triggered you to see visions of your past."

"That's a hell-of-a guess." I almost laughed, but the situation was too real to laugh at.

"You haven't seen anything that you weren't directly involved in have you?" His black eyes met mine.

_Come to think of it… no. It was always like I had stepped into the skin of the person who was experiencing the vision._

"No. I don't think so. But it's been so mixed up. I mean, I've had visions of the future, things that I know must be part of the future, mixed in with events that couldn't fit into the future." I thought of Jasper and Bella, and then Jasper and that other woman…

_and waking up next to that man…_

Edward narrowed his eyes at me. Probably wondering why I hadn't filled him in on that last tidbit. I shrugged.

"I understand. Tell me something you've seen. What's stood out the most?"

"Well, the thing that has really stuck with me the most, strangely enough, is this painting I saw on the ceiling in one of them. I think I was just waking up, as a vampire for the first time, and there was this elaborate Michealangelo style painting on the dome ceiling." I glanced up, "It was a ceiling just like this, like the ones in all of our rooms."

"Why has that stuck with you?" He pressed in that damn bed-side-manner tone.

"Because the woman in it… I know it's crazy, but she looked just like Bella. And she was holding this crazy sword." I watched as Edward and Carlisle's eyes met.

_What the hell guys? Fill me in._

" She looked like Bella?" He sounded mildly surprised.

"Yeah, I know it's weird." I wished I hadn't shared that. I felt like a complete freak. On top of my usual weirdness.

"Not so weird, Alice." Edward added.

"What?" I questioned, my eyes darting back and forth between them.

"Well, there's an old prophecy." Carlisle began uneasily, like he was uncertain of whether or not he should share this with me. Edward nodded, encouraging him to share.

"An old _prophecy_? Like biblical-prophecy prophecy?"

"Sort of. But it was the only prophecy this person ever gave."

"Who was it? What was it?" He stared at the patterns in the carpet, refusing to meet my eyes. "Carlisle," I pressed.

He glanced up at me, something heavy pressing his shoulders down. "Just wait. You'll know soon enough."

_Carlisle enough with all the cryptic crap just say something flat out FOR ONCE please…_

Edward smiled apologetically at me. I glared at him. He was going to be filling me in on all this later.

He nodded, agreeing.

"Carlisle.. I think James was in one of my visions… maybe more than one."

He was silent at that.

"James." Edward stated flatly. My eyes darted over to him, then back to Carlisle who seemed to be deep in thought.

I wondered why that of all things was disturbing to them.

"Yes. James." I repeated, watching them closely.

"We'll talk more about the rest of this later, the rest of the family is coming." He silenced me with that, and we sat waiting in heavy silence until Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme filed in. I half expected Jasper, just because he was always there between Emmett and Edward. But he wasn't here.

"So, how are we all enjoying our Roman Holiday?" Carlisle's tone was forced and light.

"Not funny, Carlisle." Emmett rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "This is the holiday from hell. Audrey Hepburn would _not_ have been in this movie."

"Why do you know Audrey Hepburn was in that movie, Emmett?" rosalie questioned seeming genuinely curious. He shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

Carlisle pulled a pen out of his pocket, and set it on the end table next to my overstuffed chair. I watched, confused.

"We have twenty minutes."

I felt my face scrunch up. Rosalie, Emmett and Edward seemed to understand exactly what that meant, but Esme looked at me with the same confused expression and shrugged.

"They won't be listening." He squeezed Esme's knee then turned back to the rest of us.

_So they'd been listening to everything else?_

Edward and Rosalie were leaning against the wall, Emmett looked completely comfortable stretched out on the sofa, opposite Esme and Carlisle, and I was perched on the edge of my seat.

"So, you all understand we're waiting on our trial with the Order." Everyone nodded, but Rosalie quirked her head to the side.

"Sorry, Carlisle, I don't really know exactly what the Order is. I thought it was just a bunch of old-as-dirt Volturi guys who had nothing better to do than stick their noses in other vampire's business. The Guard is Aro's collector's showcase with amazing abilities, the Order is the court with all the politically influential people, and Aro is some weird mastermind who controls most of the people in both. But why are they suddenly so worried over us, Edward, sharing this with Bella. They've always been sort of hands off in the past right? I mean other humans know about us. _They've_ told humans before. There's a fucking human receptionist downstairs." Rosalie spouted off, looking at Carlisle for an explanation.

"Rosalie." Esme chided.

"Yes, they're being… sticklers over this. The Order, essentially, is just a selected group of vampires that are supposed to enforce and oversee what goes on in our world. They're the law, and the Guard enforces. Usually they are only involved in major cases, like the Southern Vampire wars back at the turn of the 20th century, or the Immortal Children fiasco, but this is a relatively small event for them to be so concerned with. This, in effect, is just about me, and maybe Bella specifically." I waited for Edward to tense, but he seemed to already be aware of this. He was so going to be sharing all of this with me later. "And I'm sorry you all have been drug into this." Carlisle finished looking a little helpless. I didn't care to see Carlisle look helpless.

"What do you mean?" Esme questioned, her eyes registering her fear.

"Well, Aro and I have always had a strange relationship. Back when I was first came here, I was… well liked. Even by Aro, we were close friends for a good many years. But many vampires valued my opinion, looked to me for guidance, advice, help. You understand. And, of course, my ability… influencing will… has always been valuable in some political situations. And Aro, being the competitive, power hungry man that he is, feared for his own position. He didn't like the influence I was gaining."

"Why did you leave? You've never really said flat out." Rosalie interjected again always the one to ask tough questions.

"I just got tired of all of it, the underhanded, two-faced interaction. I wanted my life to mean something. I wanted to be of value to this world, and the way everyone here was behaving, I could see that was never going to happen. And Aro, he didn't like my push for human rights. He enjoyed his lifestyle and didn't want anyone messing with that— especially me. So I left, and it upset a lot of people, and made a lot of people happy."

"So, basically, you're the man, and Aro is jealous?" Emmett summed up simply, earning a chuckle from Carlisle.

"Something like that, Emmett." I felt a twist of pain at Carlisle's words. Jasper always used that phrase.

"What did you mean it might be because of Bella specifically, dear?" Esme questioned.

"Well, that's even trickier. I don't know that it has to do with her, but when I get more information about that, I'll fill you all in." Carlisle was avoiding that on purpose, but he'd brought it up. He wanted to tell us about it, but not really tell us anything real about it.

_Edward, you better explain all of this to me._ His eyes stayed trained on Carlisle's but he nodded minutely.

"Carlisle, Aro said something that bothered me." Rosalie chimed in again.

"Doesn't surprise me. What did he say?" Carlisle reclined on the sofa, looking oddly relaxed.

"He was talking about how we're all tight-knit, and skilled. Which isn't a surprise." She smirked, then shrugged laughing at herself. "But, the way he said it. I don't know, I may be reading way too into it, but he said it like we were all together for a reason. Like… maybe, you did it on purpose?" Rosalie stumbled over her words, but her eyes were fierce, challenging. She was accusing him. And he knew it.

Their eyes burned into each others for a short moment. Rosalie looked away first. I'd never seen that happen. Ever.

"That's ridiculous Rosalie. You know, as well as I, that I turned Edward and Esme intentionally, but everyone else kind of stumbled into our family. It's because we are civilized, we act more as human-beings than animals. We love. We settle. That's unusual. That's all he meant."

She nodded, her face was blank.

"The main thing I wanted to discuss, is something Rosalie informed me of, that Aro and the Order are waiting for Jasper to arrive before they will go through with our trial."

"What does that mean Carlisle? We told Jasper we were going to be killed, we knew it was a possibility at the time but we weren't sure, so he would never come looking here for us. So he would never be involved in this, neither he nor Bella. So, are we just going to wait here indefinitely?"

"For now, we wait. Either they will catch up with Jasper and he will be brought here and we will have out trial together, or he will elude them, and they will get tired of waiting and try us without him."

"So what you're saying is… we wait." Emmett added flatly, his arm falling limply against the side of the couch.

"Yes, we wait." Carlisle's eyes darted once again to Edward's.

_Weird, guys. Why do you keep doing that?_ The corner of Edward's mouth lifted as he looked over at me.

_You. Me. As soon as this is over. Get that damn anti-listening pen and come to my room._

He blinked slowly, indicating his assent.

*

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Comment and I write faster.


	15. Sunday Bloody Sunday

_-_

_--_

_And the battle's just begun_

_There's many lost, but tell me who has won_

_The trench is dug within our hearts_

_And mothers, children, brothers, sisters_

_Torn apart_

_--_

_-_

_JasperPOV_

Purposely, I was drawing this silly spar out, hoping, praying that Bella would figure out what was going on and run. Sending some healthy doses of shock and fear into the air, I hoped that might startle them into action, as well as disorient my opponent. When I heard the rumble of the cruiser and it fading away, I thanked God they had made it.

"HEY!" A shout carried from the front of the Chief's house.

_No._

"You're here for _me_, Red."

_No. No. No. No._

Victoria paused, mid-pounce and whirled to look at Bella. Lunging, tackling, wrestling I twisted her neck back in a headlock. The hold allowed easy access to the neck, for quick decapitation. Worked like a charm.

"Good trick." She crooned, though she was quickly running out of air for speaking.

"Jasper, stop." I jerked my head up, looking at Bella for the first time since she'd made her appearance.

_Has she lost her mind completely? _

Wearing an oversized Led Zeppelin t-shirt, o_nly_, that came down to mid-thigh, in near freezing weather, she faced Victoria head on. Her hair was tumbling down her shoulders and back, still curly from her night out, but windblown and mussed from the motorcycle ride. Eyes rimmed in red, with black smeared beneath, and her nose was pink led me to the assumption she had been crying.

"Bella, what are you doing? Get out of here. _Run_." I ordered, wondering where her sense of self-preservation was… oh yeah, she'd never had one.

"No, Jasper. I'm so tired of other people getting hurt when it's me that deserves it." Snuggling up to hysteria, her voice took on a slight shake and tone.

"Bella, you don't deserve any of this." I reminded her angrily, hoping she'd see reason and high tail it out of here. My voice had taken on a pleading tone that I didn't intend.

_Run Bella, Run._

Victoria was squirming but had run out of fuel for her obnoxious voice. I tightened my biceps like a vice around her wind pipe.

The seconds ticked by, Victoria writhing in my grasp, and Bella staring me down. I never thought this was how it would go, but I should have guessed. Bella always did the opposite of what I expected.

"Victoria, are you here for me?" Bella asked after the silence had grown thick and tense as the misty air. I wasn't about to loosen my grip to let Victoria utter a sound.

Again the silence.

"Well, here I am. Let's get on with it." Bella motioned to herself with a trembling hand, then curled her long fingers around her bony hip. I cursed the static that kept me from her emotions. That trembling hand betrayed a hint of what she was feeling.

_Bella, Bella, Bella no no no no._

"Oh, ve vill. With pleasure vittle von." (_Oh we will. With pleasure, little one.) _A voice purred behind me, sounding Siberian and sinister.

_Over my dismembered, charred body you will._

A hand clasped around my shoulder, warning me to let Victoria go. If I let her go, that would be one more opponent. If I didn't, Bella was as good as dead before Victoria's head rolled. I glanced behind me, looking into two pairs of blood red eyes. The men were shorter than me, but well muscled with identical white blond hair hanging down their backs straight and wispy.

I released her roughly.

"Don't worry… I like it rough cowboy." She licked my arm, as I released her.

And the nasal monologue was back.

They shoved me down onto my knees in the marshy grass. Icy water seeped into the knees of my jeans. Victoria glared down at me as she drew in a raspy breath, rising once again to her feet. The moon illuminated her ridiculous hair, making her look like her head was on fire.

_Not soon enough._

"Good timing, Alek." She addressed the man at my shoulder. He said nothing. _Alek_. So he was in fact Russian.

"Come on, Victoria. Where are we going?" Bella's brusque tone betrayed nothing of the hints of emotion I'd guessed at.

"Gutsy, isn't she?" Victoria mused looking back at me while stalking towards Bella. Every muscle in my body tensed as the predator neared her prey. My main objective in life of late was to keep Bella safe, and I couldn't even do that. The Cullens were dead, they'd asked me to take care of Bella, and I couldn't do it.

"I'm just tired of people getting killed and hurt because of me." Bella snapped, her eyes hard and detached.

_Bella, no no no. It's not your fault. It's ours. It's our fault. We should have never let it come to this. It's my fault, I should have drug you away from here kicking and screaming if I had to._

"Alright, let's go inside. You get changed, and we'll be on our way." Victoria sounded something akin to civil, which I'd never heard before.

Bella backtracked to her house, wading through the marshy leaves and twigs in her bare feet. Victoria was right behind her, bare footed as well.

_Hell if I'm going to let Victoria be alone with Bella. _

I moved to go after them, and two pairs of hands clamped down on my shoulders. A low growl rumbled through my chest.

Hesitation.

_Wise._

If these guys had any idea who they were messing with, they'd back off. I'd taken down bigger, stronger guys with a lot less incentive, and the battle scars to prove it.

"You too, Cullen." Victoria motioned, her lips curling into a diabolical grin behind Bella's back.

I realized then and there I'd make a deal with the devil herself if it came to that, so long as Bella was safe.

*

*

*

_BellaPOV_

_What am I doing? _

I realized about halfway back to the house that I'd just turned myself in to Victoria. It was one of those moments— like when you buy a really ugly sweater at the mall and think it looks good there but get it home and suddenly rational thought comes back to you. Yeah, it was like that. One of those, _what the hell was I thinking_ moments, only this was a lot lot bigger than taking a sweater back. I couldn't take this move back, and in my haste to sacrifice myself for the sake of those I loved, I had been careless enough to drag Jasper down with me. I should have made sure he had a way to get out before I'd done anything.

"Care to change?" Victoria crooned. Her kindness unnerving me, and the fact that she was allowing herself to be alone with Jasper and me when she had a crew of hefty half-wits out there ready to snap my neck was a little strange too. Briefly, I wondered what she had up her sleeve.

I nodded, my eyes settling on Jasper's as I exited the room behind Victoria's back. His jaw was ticking. Golden eyes, that I appreciated all the more given the present company, simmered with pent up hate.

Slowly stepping into Charlie's room, I glanced at the spot my mom had occupied not even two hours ago. I hoped they'd made it to the airport and were safely boarding a plane by now.

Staring at the floor, I wondered what I could do, how I could use this to help Jasper get away. What did Victoria want? To kill me herself? To bring some kind of justice on me for what happened to James? I needed to figure that out before I could really formulate a plan. I reached for a pair of jeans, and pulled them on.

_Wow, I really went outside in just this t-shirt. _I almost wanted to laugh at myself, but again, I figured if I started laughing I might not be able to stop. I was that near the edge of hysteria.

I grabbed Jasper's jacket and pulled it on to ward off the chill. Most of my clothes were still upstairs. Not bothering with brushing my hair or teeth, I headed for the door then hesitated, listening to their hushed conversation.

"I don't know Cullen. He told me to bring her back with us, but Aro just wants the leak fixed I suppose. when it comes to her, but you… you're supposed to be at the trial."

I gulped down a mouth full of air as I held back a gasp.

"This is a nice little game of Hide and Seek we've been playing, huh human?" Victoria spoke to me without turning around. She knew I'd been listening.

_Way to be creepy, woman._

Walking casually around the corner, I attempted to put my calm facade back up.

"Has it been?" I tried to sound bored. Jasper was looking at me so hard, and something about the intensity of his stare made this whole thing more real. I had been in imaginary Bella-land for so long, and his presence brought in the breeze of reality to carry away the fog.

"So you really didn't see me before?" She turned and arched a bushy eyebrow at me. "I guessed you didn't since you stayed put."

I stared at her blankly.

_What the hell is she talking about? She was here before? I guess that makes sense— the people who were killed in Forks._

"When we first arrived in the area— right after your coven left—" She glanced at Jasper, meaning the Cullens, "I came straight for you, thinking it was going to be easy. But then those damn watchdogs were in the way. They're vicious things. I'd never really dealt with them myself before. We couldn't set foot in the area without getting someone's head bitten off— literally." She seemed merely annoyed by that last point. "We lost six men."

"What do you mean? Watchdogs?" It came out of my mouth automatically, before I'd even thought about it.

_Oooh. The wolves._

"Your wolf friends." She crinkled her nose and glanced disdainfully around, probably smelling Jacob's scent in the house. "But you pushed them away, and both times I was there, ready."

It came rushing back to me, horrible and fast and real. The day I'd run away from Jake, that cold look in his eyes meaning more than I ever knew. He had been protecting me.

"Your wreck." She clarified looking at me like I was daft.

"So… you caused my wreck?" I questioned, still not really getting how Victoria fit into the whole picture. I didn't remember Victoria from before, but then again, I didn't remember what had caused my wreck either.

"I was out in the road, much like tonight. I think it's a nice touch. Usually people freak out, or don't see me until the last second, and wreck or they stop like complete idiots and get out. It makes it very easy to take them with virtually no sign of foul play, if that happens to be my goal." So, Victoria had a penchant for the dramatic like James. She whipped back towards me, her eyes narrowed zeroing in on the scars at my face, "But you were already bleeding." Her eyes raked over my marred face. "Does your little wolf like to manhandle you?" Jasper stiffened.

I just stared at her, too wound up to think of a lie, and not really caring to agree with anything she said.

She laughed before continuing on with her nasal monologue.

"But then he shows up," she nodded towards Jasper in irritation. "So, after that I had to get a little more creative. We were so obvious. The mark. The clean crime scene. The age range of the women. We gave you every possible clue, hoping to smoke you out of your fox hole, but still, you stayed put." She stepped close to me, leaning in to give me a whiff of her cinnamony breath, "You were supposed to panic and run." She sounded disappointed.

I guessed that had been her own idiotic plan. Kill a bunch of people, send the entire state into panic, and put on a big show, to get to one person. Why was _that_ ok, but me knowing about the Cullens wasn't?

My head was swimming, the room reeling. So many people. So many. Because of me. All because of me.

"Is she supposed to be that color?" Victoria questioned, stepping back out of my face again. Out of vomit range. I sank to the couch.

Victoria addressed Jasper then, since she lost me as her rapt audience. I could tell she was really enjoying being the bearer of shitty news.

"It was a pleasant surprise when you showed up," she turned on Jasper pacing around him, "I mean, besides the fact that you fucked up my plan. But, Aro will be so happy to know where you are. He's been scouring the country for you." I glanced up to see Jasper's stiff posture, his eyes on something beyond. His mind was on something else, which I thought was strange. He wouldn't still be drunk would he? It had been a couple hours, surely he was sobered up by now.

"You know they're all completely pissed." She continued, running her hand from his shoulder, across his back, and across his chest as she circled him. He just kept staring blankly. "You were supposed to be there. But I guess we know why you weren't now." Her beady little eyes came back to mine then darted back to his face.

"What does he have to do with this?" I questioned, wondering where the strength behind my voice came from. "You're here for me, right? You're mad because I know about you all, right? Leave him out of this."

Victoria let an ugly grin twist her face. She looked like the Grinch to me.

"You actually care if I turn him in to be killed?" She laughed. "Oh, this is good. You have no idea what he is do you? He's even worse than me little girl." She ran her hand down his chest as she spoke. He grabbed her wrist when she got to his stomach, and shoved her away roughly. "She doesn't know I guess?" Victoria baited, hoping I'd bite. Jasper's eyes sought mine with strange emotions lurking beneath their glassy surface.

I didn't have any clue what Victoria was referring to, but I relied on my newfound trust in Jasper. He'd come between disaster and me more times than I cared to remember, and even when he'd been the cause of disaster; it was never because he wanted to be that. No, he wanted to be good, and that was enough for me to trust him.

"He's the reason you're even in this mess— well— your little sweetie-pie Edward, but he's already been taken care of… all of the Cullens have been." She seemed so thoroughly pleased with herself like a sibling spoiling a Christmas surprise rather than someone announcing the death of close friends and family.

The room swayed, blurring and contrasting and I was thankful I was sitting down.

_The Cullens are… dead? _

_Why didn't Jasper tell me?_ _Why?_

No wonder he acted so weird every time I mentioned them or Alice.

"Ooh look, she's turning a new color." She clapped excitedly like a small child. If I had it in my power, I would have wiped that twisted grin off her ugly face, but presently I was occupied with keeping bile down.

"Enough." Jasper's voice was hard and commanding.

"Excuse me?" Victoria squealed, her voice rising a few octaves as she whipped her poof to look at him.

"I said…" He repeated in a tone I'd never heard from him before. He was in charge suddenly, the power in the room shifting, and Victoria knew it. Her face fell and her eyes turned shifty. "…_Enough_. You've had your fun. You've made your intended wounds. That's enough." I glanced up at the hardness of his face. I wouldn't ever cross him when he looked like that. Apparently Victoria didn't know what was good for her.

"You won't tell me what to do." She sneered, fighting to keep her newfound power. Her chin raised a few notches, and she glared down her nose at him for a moment. Probably realizing that she was alive only because he hadn't decided to kill her yet.

"Alek!" she squalled in a pitch that only dogs should be able to hear.

She turned stalking towards me.

_Uh oh. She's trying to prove a point… and it's going to involve me. _

She grabbed me by the arm, roughly jerking me to my feet. I stumbled. She jerked me forward again. I could feel her hard fingers bruising through the thick leather of Jasper's jacket.

"He has to go back to the Order, but you, I'm sure they just want the leak fixed. They won't care how it's done. They'll thank me that they won't have to deal with you," she purred running her pointy nose up the side of my face, and into my hair.

"I-I have to be at the trial..." I stammered as the Russian burst into the room looking calm, and bored and hungry. His bloody eyes shifting between Victoria and me quickly.

"Eavesdropping is rude little girl. Didn't your mommy teach you that?"

She grabbed my wrist, tracing the half-moon scar. "Oh James, I'll finish what you started." She ran her nose along my veins, snaking her tongue that I was mildly surprised wasn't forked, out to glide along the blue pathways of my veins.

_Jasper! Jasper! Do something._

My mind screamed it but it couldn't get past my mouth. I couldn't make my eyes leave the cold fingers on my burning arm.

My biting wit must have left me once her frigid tongue made contact with my skin.

"I'm really sorry about James." I was rambling, grabbing, reaching for anything to distract her, but I was truly sorry that I had been the reason the love of her life had been taken away from her.

"Yeah, me too." She muttered, not really seeming to care. Like I'd said I was sorry for stepping on the back of her shoe rather than being the reason her husband was dead. She was entranced with the paths of the veins in my arms, visible through my translucent skin. She was looking at them like it was a _Magic Eye _and if she stared hard enough they might do something cool.

"I can't imagine, losing the love of your life like that. It must be horrible." I tried to will my eyes to find Jasper's but they wouldn't obey.

"Love of my life?" Well that distracted her. She looked at me like I had two heads. "No, James was just a plaything, we weren't… you thought?" the cackle again, "No. No. We were just fucking." My eyebrows shot to my hairline.

_What? _

"So, what do you say human? Mind being my snack for the road?"

_Uh… yes. _

*

*

*

_JasperPOV_

I watched, waiting for Victoria to let go of Bella so I could dive for her without tearing Bella's arm off. Bella was distracting her but still she didn't let go. I didn't hear their conversation; I don't know what they were talking about. It was a dull hum in the background of my mind, fixed on Victoria's hands on Bella.

My mind was focused on the objective: _Get Bella out of here alive._

And then she did what I feared all along she would do. Her mouth lowered so quickly to the pulsating veins in Bella's wrist. Bella didn't even have time to react as Victoria sunk her teeth over the half moon scar already marring her skin, pulsing ever-so-slightly with the pounding of her heart. The room flooded with strawberries and salty metal and my head swam in it. I wanted to pull Victoria off so I could have her myself. The Russian moved towards Bella spurring me to react.

He was distracted by the frenzy created by Bella's blood, so it was easy to lock my arm around his neck and tear away the hard flesh in only a couple quick motions. His head landed on the kitchen floorboard with a thud, the blood from his recent kills leaking out onto the floor.

I turned, ready to destroy Victoria. She had Bella, limp and paling, in the crook of her arm her mouth fixed over Bella's wrist. The sight was sickening, and the scent of Bella's blood was delicious.

Victoria's eyes snapped to mine, deepening in their color.

"HEY!" The voice echoed from the front yard, and snarls followed but my eyes stayed trained on Victoria as she glanced away from her meal. I took the moment to dive for her. I couldn't worry about how Bella would land, all I could do is get this monster off of her. I landed on Victoria, the blood on her mouth smelling like life itself, sweet and making me feel a little drunk again. I twisted her under me, pinning her arms behind her back, securing them in one hand and pulling her head up by the mass of hair with my knee pressed into the small of her back.

"Don't worry cowboy." She ground out. Her neck muscles were pulled taught and her hair was knotted in my fist. "If you turn yourself in now, Aro will just be so happy to have you in the Guard, he'll forget all about this silly business." She hissed out. "Come back with me. Forget about the girl. She's just a human girl? They'll kill her one way or another… there are others. Close by… ready…" I didn't want to hear anymore of her psychobabble. I jerked her head to the side listening to the snap of her indestructible bones. I tossed her head far from her limp body. It hit the opposite wall, crashing against the TV. I spat out the piece of her hide, the leathery taste taking me back over a century to the time I'd earned all these scars.

"Jasper…" came the weak voice. It turned my vision back from red.

My eyes sought the source. Horror fought up my throat like bile.

"Jasper…" she repeated, paling.

I went to her, crouching as she shuddered on the floor. Her face was ghastly and pallid, and too innocent to ever hold such anguish.

_I can't. I can't. I can't._

"It burns," she whispered through bluing lips. Her eyes were round and dilated and I was afraid. "Please, Jasper." She fought between tremors.

_I can't. I can't. I can't._

I stared as she shook, and watched as her eyes rolled back in her head.

_You have to. You can do this. You can. For Edward. For the Cullens. For Bella. I can't. Just do it._

But I didn't have time to fight this out with myself.

_For Edward… For Bella._

I reached out for her, my skin meeting hers and quieting the static. I felt strengthened by our contact as I lifted her limp arm to my face and cut off my sense of smell like that would help once the thick liquid touched my lips.

_Edward. Edward's Bella. Bella. You can do this, Jasper. _

I drew in a quick taste of her, afraid of myself, and hoping to God that I could do this without killing her. She was sweet and delicious but tainted with Victoria's bitter venom.

I hesitated, thinking how I'd always been so weak. But those cases, each of those cases, I hadn't known the people. I had no reason to care for them, or even think of them as people.

But Bella… I thought of her face twisted up feisty and childish with anger when I'd first come to talk to her. I thought of her helpless and pleading in the truck that day, so afraid of me, so full of life even as it was draining away. I thought of her parents bent over her with such love and adoration at the hospital. She was a daughter, a loved and cared for child. I thought of her amused face when she'd seen me singing and her perched so naturally on my motorcycle. I felt the horror of seeing her stalk into the clearing in only that damn Led Zeppelin t-shirt. I thought of Edward and what he had done to himself just to keep this child safe. I took one long draught tasting the purity of her blood.

I removed her wrist from my lips, feeling her pulse, present but weak beneath my fingers. I swiped the blood away from my mouth astonished and wanting to do a little victory dance. That was a definite first.

I whipped around, crouched defensively over Bella's body at the sound of someone behind me. A reeking monstrosity growled deep and low, ready to dive for me.

_Wolf. Always the damn wolf._

If he forced this fight, he'd be on the floor in 2.5. He glanced at Victoria's red head on the floor at Bella's feet.

"I don't have time to tear you apart teen-wolf." I stepped back to pull Bella into my arms. He wouldn't charge when I had her. "But don't think for a minute I wouldn't if I had the time." I paused to look him straight in the eyes. As he phased back, we were about the same height, so we were pretty much nose to nose. "Touch her again, and I'll hunt you down like the animal you are and make sure you never stink up another breath of her air again. Understand?" I said it all calmly and matter-of-factly as I made my way out the door with her limp against my chest.

He didn't say a word, because in the past his fuel against us had always been that we were the dangerous ones. That was no longer the case. None of us had ever actually harmed Bella— at least not physically.

"There will be more," I warned trekking out onto the lawn. "Burn them." I added over my shoulder, to the flock of naked Indians assembling on Chief Swan's front yard. Nearing the edge of the forest, I broke into a run towards the Cullen's house.

She came-to once, though I tried not to jostle her.

"Jasper…" she muttered against my neck, tightening her hold on my thin T-shirt.

"We'll get you out of here. Don't worry." I soothed, pulling her tighter against my chest. She felt so small in my arms.

"I trust you." She muttered, while I was heading for Rosalie's behemoth garage at the back of the house.

I wanted to stop dead as those words spilled from her lips.

_She trusts me._

But I unlocked the side door, flipped the light and settled her into the nearest Italian leather seat with the thought circulating in my mind.

She didn't stir. I wondered how long that would last once I broke contact with her skin.

The trident on the front grill of the car caught my eye as I grabbed a medical bag Carlisle kept in the Mercedes. Kneeling in front of her I worked quickly, cleaning the bite mark. The clinical scent stung my nose. i carefully bandaged it, and noticed the tiny, barely discolored scars all along her arms. She stirred from the sting of the antiseptic.

"Wh… where am I?" she looked confusedly from me to scan the room. Her hand went to tear at the fresh bandage out of instinct. I stilled her hand, bringing her wide brown eyes back to mine.

"Rosalie's garage." I offered, stepping back from her to gather the things we'd need— fake ids, passports, cash, ect.

She nodded, looking like her head was very heavy. She watched, dazedly as I shuffled around the garage, grabbing the items and tossing them into duffle bags and into the trunk. Her eyes followed me like the Mona Lisa's across the room. Her face was stoic, her mind trying to absorb all that had just happened.

"Are there others?" so emotionless.

For a moment, I considered whether or not to let her know. Would she just worry? Would it cause her undue stress when she'd already been stretched so far?

"Not close by." I lied, hurrying my steps, knowing they would come here searching for us soon.

Slamming the trunk of the car, my tennis shoes squeaked covered in mud as I went to the driver's side door.

"Where are we going?" She asked as I climbed in beside her. Gunning the engine, I looked over at her. The Italians sure knew how to make a vehicle.

"Right now?" I asked knowing she'd nod yes.

We hit the road at break-neck speed, gravel flying in our wake.

"Texas."

*

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**And there you go. Jasper and Bella are on the run. Who knows what kind of car they took? Comment lovelies.**

**And because I love you so much… Preview from next chapter.**

_AlicePOV_

"Seriously? An anti-listening pen? What the hell Edward, have you been boosting supplies from the CIA?" I slammed the door shut and strode over to the bed, plopping down on it. I couldn't help myself, when had they turned all tech-savvy?

_Emmett had to twist Edward's arm to even get him to buy an ipod and dock and stop using his old record player. He skipped the cassette tape era, and only marginally got into c.d.s. And here he was with some kind of spy device. Or… anti-spy device. Whatever. _

He laughed, the first I'd heard Edward laugh in a long time.

"Yes, and I was glad I sprung for the ipod." He laughed again.

"So you are stealing supplies from the government?" I pressed, raising my eyebrows and waiting for his answer.

"Oh no, we just knew what we were walking into here. They are monitoring our every moment, and we needed to have a few minutes to discuss things. I bought it from a tech guy on my way back to Forks. It's programmed with white noise and radio signals and all kinds of stuff, so they can't hear us, but they don't suspect anything. It's pretty genius really. They would just think it was interference with their equipment."

I stared at him skeptically, my brow knit and one eyebrow raised.

"Whatever. Spill. Your. Guts." I pulled him down onto the bed next to me.

"Alice…" He began to protest, I could tell he was going to try to worm his skinny little butt out of this, but there was no way in hell he was getting out that door without me knowing as much as he did.

"Don't Alice me. Tell me everything you know. This is ridiculous, for us to be in this musty hell-hole and not really know entirely why. I'm going absolutely insane not being able to just look a few beats ahead when I want to." My voice went high and shrill and anxious like it did sometimes when I felt particularly passionate about something I was talking about. Edward flinched at the high pitch of it.

"Fine. Fine. What do you want to know?"

A thousand questions rushed through my mind.

_Why are they waiting for Jasper? What does this have to do with Bella? Why is your hair scruffy? Why are you and Carlisle keeping this from us? What's with Aro and Carlisle at each other's throats? What was Rosalie talking about that Carlisle might have gotten us all together on purpose?_

"Whoa, easy there tiger. Just pick one at a time."

"Fine. Why are we waiting for Jasper? Carlisle told me that the whole point of this was for Jasper to get away. Because me and you and Jasper all three in Aro's hands was crazy, and you and I are the main culprits here." I turned towards him as I spoke, folding my legs under me and watching him carefully. I could always tell if Edward was lying, and there would be no lying today.

"Waiting for Jasper. Well, really Carlisle just didn't think that Aro, or the Order would care if Jasper wasn't here. But, they're insisting. Probably because Aro really wants Jasper too. The three of us would be damn near unstoppable under Aro's thumb."

I swallowed hard over that last part.

"And Bella? What does this have to do with her Edward? I mean, besides the obvious— that she shouldn't know about us."

"Well that is tricky. Really, I don't know. Carlisle has been reciting Wordsworth in his mind every time we bring her up. But, he did say that Bella might be in the old prophecy. I know I know. Stop looking at me like that Alice, I know prophecy sounds so— doom and gloom."

"Did you just say doom and gloom?" I interjected with a laugh.

"Of all the things I just said…" He unsuccessfully tried to hide a smile.

"But yes, the old prophesy. There are actually a few, and they're all said to be about the same woman, but this last one, it makes it seem likes its about someone alive now, and Bella kind of fits the bill." He looked uneasy, jamming his hand through his hair and resting his elbows on his thighs.

"You know what it says?"

"Not entirely, I'm going to try to look it up when the trio goes out hunting."

*

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_To be continued…_


	16. Run Baby Run

Merry Christmas. Enjoy. Comment.

-

—

We're flying through the night

We're flying through the night

Way up high

The view from here is getting better

with you by my side

Run, baby, run

Don't ever look back

They'll tear us apart

If you give them the chance

-"Check Yes Juliet" by: We The Kings

—

-

I riffled through my I.d.s pulling out the ones with last names linking me to the Cullens.

_Hale. Cullen. Hale. Hale. Whitlock. Hale. _

I held them between my teeth as I pulled out a rubber band and snapped it around them, my hands still at the top of the steering wheel.

I stared at the top one for a moment. I looked a little pissed off in the photo, the result of hours spent in the DMV with a hundred cranky Seattleites. It was strange, having changed my name. I hadn't wanted to. It felt like I was losing my identity or something when I did it. But change my name I did, because Carlisle and Alice asked me to.

I guess it suited me—not sharing a name with them—because I wasn't like them. Neither Rosalie nor I were, so our different last name was fitting. I never developed their limitless patience, their absolute love of humans and desire to protect them. Rosalie, she never developed their compassion or empathy. She was selfish to her core; every action she carefully weighed was merely to decide if it would be best for her. I—well maybe I am selfish, but I just never much saw the appeal of humans. As food, yes, I easily grasped their appeal—and I loathe myself for that— but as friends, as… _lovers_?

Maybe I have the empathy down, but I lack the compassion or something. I feel what their feeling, but it's hard for me to care sometimes, for my concern to prevent an action that feels completely natural to me. Especially when I know what mundane, selfish things they always feel. Well, _most_ of them.

I've found one exception to the rule. The woman lying across the console of Rosalie's Maserati. I stuffed the ids in the ashtray to get rid of at the next stop.

As she stirred, my hands immediately sought her skin again, instinctively soothing her back to sleep.

I felt the grin twitch at the corners of my mouth as I watched her breath fanning against the glass, my mind wandering back to how she'd gotten into that strange position.

*

The miles had ticked by in tense silence, all the things that had transpired, all the secrets we kept from one another felt like an elephant stuffed into the small cab. Her knee was bouncing up and down, fingers drumming on the armrest. It was going to be a very long drive if she stayed that antsy. I'd been banking on her being groggy and tired. She had just been attacked by a vampire for God's sake, and lost a lot of blood, and on top of that she had stayed up all night. But she was wide awake, and jostling the whole car with her restlessness.

I was already on edge, buzzed from her blood, and the satisfaction of ripping Aro's minions to pieces. I shifted, twisting the fingers on my right hand to make new grooves in the steering wheel, and grasping the edge of my seat with my left hand.

The burning in my throat was back in full force, I wished I'd had time to hunt before we'd had to leave. The ferocity of my anger ripped through me again as I looked at the stained bandage on Bella's arm, the source inspiring my intense thirst. The pure white was stained through in the center and pink was inching out towards the edges. It made me furious all over again, thinking about Victoria sinking her teeth through Bella's fragile skin. I wished I'd been the one to watch their purple smoke billow up towards the sky, heady with Victoria's cinnamon scent.

_Chill out Jasper._ I reminded myself, removing my nails from the upholstery.

"How's that hand?" I asked, glancing over at her from the blurring yellow bars in the center of the highway. I rubbed my fingernails against my jeans, nonchalantly removing bits of leather from beneath them.

"Oh…" Her mind came back to the present, her eyes adjusting to the car again. She looked a little startled, like she had forgotten I was there. "Uh, it's kind of tingly. But good." Her eyes were so hard, her face so tired. She didn't look at me.

"Tingly?" I questioned, feeling a bud of uneasiness bloom in my chest.

"Yeah, it was like that before… you know…" She fidgeted in her seat, pulling one of her legs up under her. "…When Edward… Don't worry." She attempted to smile, but it really looked more like a grimace.

"It doesn't hurt? You're not in pain are you? And it's not burning?" I felt the panic well up within me. I wasn't exactly an expert on removing venom from human blood. I didn't know anyone besides Edward who had ever been able to do it. What if she was changing? Panic quickly morphed to horror. I grabbed her arm mindful of her fragility, my finger seeking her pulse though I could hear it, I wanted to feel it, and this way I could test the temperature of her skin.

She jumped as I grabbed her, and remained tense. It was such a relief to touch her. All the tension buzzing like mosquitoes in the cab with us settled and quieted.

Her pulse pounded steady but elevated beneath my fingers, probably because I'd scared her. Her skin was a little cool, but probably normal for this time of day and under the trauma her body had endured—she'd lost a lot of blood.

"I promise. I'm ok." She did better with her smile this time, her eyes finding a spot somewhere around my forehead to fix themselves.

I nodded and let go, twisting my fingers back around the supple brown leather of the steering wheel. I glanced at her again out of the corner of my eye, my mind thinking through what she was feeling in response to this whole mess.

I hesitated, unsure of if I should voice the question in my mind.

"You know, I just reacted, thinking I had to stop it. I don't even know how you feel about… being changed anymore…" She let it hang in the air for a moment, peaking my interest. I glanced at her again.

"I'm glad you did what you did." She stated this matter-of-factly staring at the watercolor of green and brown out the window.

Another moment passed in the tense buzzing silence.

"I'm just wondering how. I'm pretty impressed." A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she tried to put me at ease, her warm gaze finally finding my eyes. I looked away, staring intently at the curving gleam of the highway.

"Where does your new iron will come from?" she asked the question I'd been anticipating, brow furrowed. I felt her eyes on me, burning and heavy and questioning.

"Ah, I guess…" I hesitated, changing my grip on the steering wheel, avoiding looking at her. "I never knew any of the people I… uh…"

"Killed." She finished for me decisively. Not the least bit bothered by the word, or the meaning.

"Killed." I repeated, looking over at her to make sure she was as comfortable with the conversation as she seemed. She appeared to be.

"I think if I'd known any of them… I wouldn't have been able to do it. And… you know… before?" I referenced her birthday, waiting for her nod. "Well, it was really the same thing. They all kept me away from you. I really didn't know you even then. And this time…" I paused remembering the horror of those moments. I'd been terrified that she would die. That those bright eyes that pinned me down, knowing and comprehending me so easily would drain of that soulful light always burning behind that glassy surface. And then my promise to the family only solidified what I already knew I had to do.

"All I could think about was getting you out of there alive. You're too…" I paused shifting in my seat uncomfortably and searching for the right word. "Valuable. There wasn't another option."

She stiffened at the word _valuable_, then nodded, mulling over my answer. She stared out the window for a moment, her shoulders tense, her knee bobbing up and down.

"What do you mean _valuable_?" She questioned my choice of words after a moment, her voice small and distant.

I took a second, trying to think of how to explain to her without it sounding completely strange.

"You remember that night James was after you, and the whole family was rushing around, and you and I were just kind of standing there in the chaos?"

She nodded.

"Do you remember what I said?"

Another tentative nod.

"You're worth it, no matter what you think. All the struggle, and bad things that have happened and…death… all of it. You're a unique person, Bella. I didn't fully see it or understand it before, but I do now. You're truly of value in this world. It's a better place because you exist." I was a little surprised by my own words, but I felt them to be true. She was worth every horrible thing that had happened, because she was life, and innocence and every good thing, and that was something to fight for._ She _was something to fight for. She was shaking her head, tears spilling from her eyes and drawing gleaming trails down her pallid face.

"Death…" she trailed off, her voice cracking over the word. "Esme, Carlisle…" she gasped for breath, "Emmett… Rosalie…" another gasping breath, and I waited for the knife in my chest. "Alice…" she buried her face in her hands. "Edward." His name was a statement, a knife cutting, heart-breaking, soul-tearing statement.

I felt the familiar wrench of my heart as Alice's name spilled from her lips. But Bella's trembling shoulders dominated my pain. I just wanted to soothe her. To make her understand this wasn't her fault, that no one, not even they, had held her responsible for any of this.

Her shoulders stopped shaking, and her hands fell away from her face.

She was silent, her face turned towards the window. I could see her breathing coming in ragged soft gasps.

"Bella, let me exp…" I started, completely uncomfortable with her tears. I guess the emotion shouldn't bother me, but it did. I didn't like her feeling such heavy things. I wished again that I could shield her from all of this. It made me feel so useless to not just fix how she was feeling, not just fix everything for her.

"I'm fine." She interrupted swiping her hand under her eyes.

"But I…" I started again.

"Really, it's just been a _super_ intense night. You understand…" she shrunk back against the seat, her arms wrapped around her middle like she was trying really hard to keep it together. I noticed she was wearing my jacket for the first time. It looked like it was swallowing her.

"It has been." I agreed, nodding. I decided to let the rest drop for now. I had time to explain to her why I hadn't told her about the Cullens.

I couldn't feel her, but intuitively, I knew the deep sadness and overwhelming sense of loss that was probably crushing down on her now. My fingers twitched against the armrest. I wanted to reach out and touch her and quell all that was tormenting her, and also silence the mad hum her presence created in my mind. I dug my fingers into the leather again instead.

Winding the dark Washington highway, I let my thoughts wander back to when we'd actually been having a good time in each others company. It seemed like years rather than hours ago that we'd been drinking together, singing with her friends, when I'd been riding behind her on my bike distinguishing what the scent was in her hair. That scent that was pulsing in my veins now too, and permeating every surface in the car. And had the devils in my mind running on overdrive, but the beauty of it was one glance from her silenced them.

She swiped at her tears, trying hard to keep her face hidden from me.

The moments blurred away with the miles and soon the lights of Seattle glowed bright and eerie above the trees.

"You sure you're ok?" I asked again, as she absently massaged her arm around the bandage.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm sure." She mumbled with a fake, watery smile directed at the dashboard rather than me.

The silence continued, and for some reason, I didn't think of the radio as an option for filling the void.

We crossed into the city, the lights blurring and catching in the droplets on the windshield. The whisper of the rain continued, soft and misty. The highway gleamed with the fluorescent glow of the city lights.

Somewhere around the city limit her leg began jostling the car again.

I waited a moment

"You hungry?"

"No."

"Let's get you something anyway." I didn't like the colorless sheen of her skin. I had more color than her.

"Nothing is open this time of night." She pointed out, every restaurant and store we passed dark and vacant.

"There's always something open. What do you want?"

"I'm really not hungry."

"Well, if you don't tell me I'm just going to go get a ton of stuff, and I really don't know what your preferences are, so I might end up back here with like anchovies and sardines and pickled pigs feet or something." I grinned as I said it, not sure why I found teasing her about her food so amusing. She looked really distressed by this, and muttered something about a cheeseburger.

"I'm sorry what?"

"Don't you have Superman hearing? Cheeseburger Cheeseburger."

I laughed at her miffed expression and exited the highway beneath the golden arches of McDonald's.

I pulled up to the speaker.

"What can I get you?" the man's voice crackled through the speaker.

"What do you want?" I leaned over to ask Bella.

"I'm asking you, sir." The man replied over the speaker, seeming to think I was insane.

"No, I'm asking the girl in the car with me."

Silence.

"What do you want, Bella?" I repeated leaning over towards her.

"Hamburger." She replied, sulking.

"Yes, but what kind? There are all varieties of human hamburgers am I right?" I nodded towards the elaborate menu.

"Big Mac, quarter pounder, double quarter pounder, quarter pounder with cheese, double cheeseburger, kid's burger." I rattled off a few from the menu.

"Alright, I have a big Mac, a quarter pounder, a double quarter pounder, a double…" the man began reciting all that I had just recited for Bella.

"For the love of…" I muttered over the static.

"What else? Fries?"

"Yes. That's it. Thank you." I pulled forward as he instructed.

"You can't buy all of that! Who's going to eat it?" she was very bothered by the fact that I'd just spent twenty dollars on hamburgers.

"You. And any beggar we pass on a corner." I grinned handing the guy my cash.

She shook her head, indignant.

"Ketchup?" I echoed the window attendant's question.

"Yes. And a coke." She muttered, taking the heavy sack of hamburgers from me.

I smiled glad she was cooperating.

"A coke also please." I handed the attendant, who I had to convince it was ok for her to make a coke and take my money even though she didn't work the payment window, a ten and called it even. I'd caused the little woman a lot of distress.

"Eat." I commanded Bella who was just staring overwhelmed at the full sacks of food.

She cut her eyes at me, and selected a burger from the stack.

After she'd finished a burger and the coke and picked at a box of fries, I was satisfied that she'd eaten enough. I passed the full sack of food out to a "_hungry vet" _on the street corner.

We drove on, silence heavy on us again.

"Want to talk about it?"

"About what? I'm fine?"

"Then what's with the leg bouncing?"

Her knee stilled immediately.

"Just my parents. I'm hoping they got away ok. I wish I could have asked Jake what happened with them." She stared out the window at the changing terrain.

I watched headlights blink on behind us from off the road in the rearview mirror. The car pulled up onto the slick highway, accelerating behind us.

She continued on unaware of my fear, and my foot pressing into the floor.

"By the way, what happened with Jake? I have a vague memory of him showing up again…" she trailed off as I let out a breath and a small laugh.

The wail of a siren, and the flash of red and blue bounced through the mirrors and into the car. I glanced down at the speedometer.

_120. Damn._

_Pullover, or outrun them. If I outrun them, we'd have to switch cars, and Bella might have a breakdown._

I pulled to the side of the road, Bella's eyes were rounded in alarm. We'd just faced down a sadistic vampire, who bit her none-the-less, and she was worried about a cop. I laughed.

"Look worried." I commanded playfully. The cop of all things had her upset.

Rolling down the window I was greeted by the officer so very pleasantly.

He shone his flashlight in my eyes. I'm sure it made them glow bright gold.

"Where are you going in such a hurry there, playboy."

_Playboy? Oh… probably because of the car._

"Her mother is in the hospital in Tacoma. Car accident. We're just trying to get down there quickly." The officer glanced over at Bella in the passenger seat, looking frazzled and pale, with red-rimmed eyes.

"This is an expensive car. Is it yours?" He leaned back and let out a low whistle.

"No sir. It's my father's,"

"Well, I'm _feeling_ generous tonight." He muttered, pulling his pants up a notch. Bella snorted, then played it off as a cough. "Keep it to the speed limit son. It wouldn't do the lady any good to get in a wreck herself." He pointed a warning finger at me.

"You're absolutely right, officer." I smiled at him, forgetting my teeth and watching his brows knit.

"Be careful now." He walked back to his car in a daze.

"I will, Barney." I chuckled, rolling my window up.

"That's hardly fair." Bella shook her head as we pulled back onto the highway.

I shrugged.

"He was _feeling generous?_" she gave a soft laugh with her words.

I chuckled again glancing over at her. She needed to laugh more. Even when it was only half-hearted, it lit up her whole face.

She was distracted for a moment and then her knee began vibrating the car again.

"Call Jake. Make sure your parents are ok." I offered, pulling my phone out and handing it to her.

She snatched it readily, without a word.

"I don't know how to work this thing…" She punched at the touch screen awkwardly for a moment, her face scrunched up and her neck bent down. Finally she succeeded in dialing Jacob. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, uneasy with anticipation of what the wolf would say.

He didn't answer.

_Asshole. _

The knee bouncing began again.

She kept trying and with each pass to voicemail she got more and more agitated. We breezed through Tacoma, traffic dead at four thirty in the morning.

"It's always unnerved me to see big cities completely quiet and still." She mused, pressing her face to the window to see the ghostly buildings looming on either side of us. I watched the fog of her breath on the glass for a second— thick with the warmth of her body. Her skin was pale and waxy in the odd greenish glow of the city lights.

I peered out my window too, no fog coloring my glass. I wondered: if the empty silent buildings frightened her, didn't the silent-hearted monster in the car with her?

*

*

*

_AlicePOV_

"Edward?" I sat up from where I had sprawled out on the plush crimson carpet of my room, trying to make myself have a vision— future or past. I didn't care I just needed some answers.

He slid through the door; thick leather bound volume under his arm.

_What is that? _I thought, looking up at him where he had paused before me.

"The Volturi: a history" He said it softly, as if all his hopes hinged on what was found on those old yellowed pages. I scooted back, making room for him to sit next to me. He sank to his knees, and set the book out before us under the soft-yellowed glow of the chandelier.

Slowly he turned through the pages of the book, that I later wondered how he came to possess.

We sat like children, wide-eyed and frightened of what we might find. He flipped through pages after page, endlessly searching the yellowed parchment pages for an hints, any clues, anything telling us about this prophetess and the subject of her visions.

"Why is there nothing?" I whined, wondering if this was all really real. Could there really be a _prophesy, _about Bella no less?

He shook his head. He hadn't uttered a word the entire time.

"Wait!" I squealed as he turned the page.

"That's it! That's the painting!" I shouted, my hand flattening itself against the page.

"This?" He whispered, leaning in closer.

On the page, an image of the painting from my vision stared up at us-- The woman with the sword, with a startling resemblance to Bella.

"_Her name is war…" _He muttered under his breath, his finger sweeping the only words on the page with the image.

"What? What does that mean?" I searched his face, hoping it would have more answers than this book.

"I don't know." He shook his head.

"That was rather anticlimactic." I huffed, sinking onto my heels, and letting my shoulders droop forward. "What do we do now?"

"We wait—for Jasper, for luck, or for answers."

*

*

*

_JasperPOV_

As we rounded on Oregon border, I couldn't take it any more. Her leg was vibrating the whole car. She was checking the phone every two seconds and drumming her fingers against the arm rest with her other hand. The agitated noise in the small space with her scent so intense, and the memory of her taste still fresh on my tongue…well, it was all a little maddening.

"Hand." I held my hand out, palm up, to her.

"What?" She glanced at my outstretched hand then up at me.

"Let me calm you down, please. You look like you need some sleep." I offered waiting for her hand.

"Why do you need to touch me?" Her brows knit confusion in her eyes. Did it bother her that much to touch me?

"I don't know. But you're a complete mess emotionally unless I'm touching you. And then everything gets kind of quiet and calm and all I can feel is you."

A light of understanding kindled behind her eyes.

"On the motorcycle…"

"The motorcycle? Oh yeah…" I had forgotten about that. She was probably completely creeped out. I mean, I basically stuck my hands up her shirt. "Sorry about that."

She looked up from the text she was sending Jacob, wide-eyed.

"I mean, I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to know if it worked, because that static drives me nuts sometimes." I watched her, gauging her reaction. "And I didn't have my usual filter." I added, waiting for her response.

"Static?" she dropped her hands to her lap.

"Yeah… you're just all jumbled. It's like…" I paused trying to think of how to explain it to her. "I don't know, trying to get a bad radio station. I just can't get through to read you."

"What? That's weird… That's not normal for you is it?"

"No. But when has anything with you been normal?" I smiled to soften the words, but she looked like she took it personally anyway.

"It used to be. You used to not have any trouble with me." I nodded in agreement, then shrugged.

"I don't know." I admitted.

"So, I'm faulty or something? I was messed up mentally, and now it's emotionally too?" Her voice was a little high and hysterical.

"No. We're the freaks, Bella. Not you. Remember that,"

I clenched and unclenched my fingers, waiting for her hand as I spoke. She glanced up at me with those eyes that saw straight through me. They were so piercing and discerning. She slid her hand out from under her leg, and reached for mine, her fingers trembling as they closed the distance between us.

_She's still afraid of me. After all of that… she's still afraid of me._

The buzzing stopped as her warm skin met mine. I tried to ignore the jolt of electricity, the prologue to the tranquility. It was like lightening striking and igniting. And then the serene calm that follows. I focused on twisting and bending her emotions to me. Calming her anxiety, quieting the hum of her mind with a state of repose and peace. Her leg stilled, her breathing evened and slowed within seconds, and her head went slack against the headrest.

She slept, but not peacefully like I'd hoped. She tossed and tried to turn but she was in a small sports car, and I was clutching her hand over the console in my cold one. It didn't work out so well. She'd pulled her legs up in the seat, and was curled up oddly her face against the cold window, fogging a little halo outline. I was left leaning over the console so I wasn't pulling her arm out of socket. I pulled her tennis shoe off, and carefully brought her foot over to me across the console, so I wouldn't have to lean over to keep contact with her. She stretched her other leg over turning so the back of her head was against the slope of the door. She didn't look comfortable at all, but she was sleeping and she needed to sleep. I was surprised she hadn't gone into shock or something. Good thing Victoria didn't drink very much.

_Very good thing._

I chuckled again looking at her odd position.

Everything I felt from her seemed to only solidify her honesty, and her sincerity. Either she was a master at deception or, the more likely option, she was a truly unique human. I almost wanted to laugh. Bella really didn't seem like she was capable of deception. Every thought and emotion pooled behind her eyes, like crisp leaves at the bottom of a glassy puddle.

I pressed the accelerator a little harder watching the deep shadows of the black forest fade into the flat pre-dawn grey of the desert.

I couldn't help but catch glances at her as the desert blurred past. The sun was rising behind my window, coloring the sky pink and gold. The warm rays reflected off the desert landscape and shone in her chestnut hair.

I was thankful my urging had worked and she was resting. I guessed from the dark circles usually present beneath her eyes that when she slept, it wasn't for long. She wasn't the type to complain, but I figured it had been a long time since she'd had a good night's sleep. I'd have to help her with that, when we got somewhere more comfortable for her.

Her leg slid up onto my lap. She was stretching her long leg fully. Her knee popped, then her ankle.

I marveled for a moment at how different she looked. I'd noticed before, but it really hit me when she was unaware of my scrutiny. She looked much older. Her face was too thin, her shoulders looked frail, and her eyes were a bit sunken. But she wasn't the little girl I'd been thinking of her as. there was a strength to her now that she'd never had before, and she certainly wasn't afraid to stand up for herself anymore.

I chuckled remembering her berating me that first night. It was a little funny… _now_.

Restless, she rubbed her feet against the inside of my leg. Her warm skin grazing the inseam of my jeans.

I grabbed them to still the motion.

_Be still, Bella…._

That awful vibrating jarred me back to the task at hand—driving. I swerved the car back onto the highway, off of the bumps set on the shoulder for that purpose.

_Focus, Jasper._

I glanced in the rearview for the thousandth time. No one behind us. Hopefully it would stay that way. I couldn't imagine what I would do, what lengths I would go to to protect this little… this _woman_. I'd promised Edward I would keep her safe, hadn't I?

I glanced down at her again as she shifted, rolling more onto her back, her head cradled between the door and the seat, her arm up over her forehead, her legs stretching again over my leg, and a soft groan escaping her full lips.

_The road, Jasper. Focus on the road._

I glanced in the mirror again. Right, still clear. Good.

"Edward…" she said softly, her voice light and breathy.

My eyes snapped to her face. Her long dark eyelashes were fluttering softly against her cheeks, her eyelids moving ever-so-slightly.

_Dreaming_.

_She still dreamed of him._

It wasn't really a surprise, but it made me sad for her. That she still missed him, still wished for him, the way he had for her. What a mess Edward had made… being so damn self-sacrificing. He'd drug her through hell with him, not caring how he bruised and broke her. How could he do that to her? I glanced at her innocent face again, tight with pain, and pale from depression. How could he do that to her?

"Jasper?" she whispered it like a question, shock in her tone.

_What could she possibly be dreaming about me? _

Lines creased her smooth skin between her eye brows, and the shadows beneath her eyes were more prominent. She looked upset, or like she was in pain.

"Nothing…" she mumbled. "Nothing."

_Nothing? Come on, give me something to go on, Bella._

"Edward…"

_Ok… me and Edward and nothing. That's not really helping me out._

"_Why?_" she asked, pain heavy in her voice. I couldn't stand her pain, her confusion.

I spread my fingers out against her flushed skin, relaxing her a bit more.

I waited, eyes switching off scanning the road and her face.

Her breathing calmed again.

"Don't leave me. Please…" She begged, pulling her arm over her face. Hiding her expressive features from me.

I slid my hand against the top of her foot in a comforting gesture. Her skin was so soft beneath my hypersensitive fingertips. I ran them over the delicate blue pattern of veins in her foot, feeling the gentle beat of her heart.

"I won't, Bella. I won't."

Though I knew she was talking to Edward in her dream rather than me, I hoped my answer gave her some peace. It seemed to. She pressed her palm beneath her cheek and sank into dreamless sleep.


End file.
